Tag: MxMIndia Annual

Reaching out to women is an imperative goal for brands

By Sandhya Sadananda

Whether you’re trying to market a product or service, reaching out to women is an imperative goal for a brand’s social media team. With an increasing number of women with reliable internet connectivity, marketers cannot afford to rely on one-way messages to build purchase intent and brand loyalty.

As social media’s use has shifted from broadcasting a brand’s message to engaging with potential and current women consumers, a social media company needs to employ tools to target the right women. These could range from influencers to current users to maturing audiences who are likely to connect with the brand.

The ways in which a social media company can target these women audiences are:

1. Facebook plug-ins

2. Twitter plug-ins

3. Site registrations

4. Email registrations

5. OpenID plug-in

PR and women consumers in India

By Jaideep Shergill

Marketers have a sense that women are a make-or-break audience, not only as consumers but also as influencers. And the data backs this instinct. A report by private equity firm Everstone Capital last year said that women consumers will make India richer by 12 per cent by 2015 and 25 per cent by 2025. Over the next 30 years, the report added, the number of women workers will grow 38 per cent, outstripping the 33 per cent growth of the male workforce. Women’s incomes too are rising, enabling them to purchase products and services that were once out of reach.

An IMRB survey last year said urban women’s average monthly income rose from Rs 4,492 in 2001 to Rs 9,457 in 2010. By now, that number would have crossed five figures. Globally, said a study last year by Boston Consulting Group (BCG), women controlled more than $20 trillion in consumer spending in 2011.That was higher than the total consumer spending of China and India combined. By 2016, that amount could expand to $28 trillion.

The BCG study found that women are dissatisfied with many product categories, led by investment, cars, banking, life insurance, physicians, car insurance and work clothes. It’s clear, then, that marketers don’t always get it right. When reaching out to women, BCG felt that marketers ignore factors like emotional appeal and the need for products that save time. Not surprisingly, brands across the spectrum are now thinking hard about how to change their marketing mindsets.

The above methods can be employed for women who have already landed on your website/ social media page or are repeat customers.

For the ones that are not in the above mentioned groups, search ads, sign up ads, interactive social media posts and blogger outreach can be employed.

The points a social media company or brand must always remember while trying to engage women are:

1. Be to the point, because of shortening attention spans and multitudes of content

2. Employ graphic content wherever possible

3. Be interactive. Never ignore a query or comment.

4. Be creative and engaging.

5. Provide value instead of rushing to update three posts a day per platform.

6. Direct the women to other resources (e.g. alternate social media platforms, microsites, etc. to ensure they have a choice of responding wherever they are comfortable).

7. Ensure privacy in correspondence, wherever possible.

New products are being introduced exclusively for women. For instance, banks are launching credit cards and investment products that cater specifically to women’s needs. Automobile companies have introduced two-wheelers for women commuters, especially teenagers. At least one insurance company offers cover for illnesses that are specific to women. The public relations (PR) scope will grow as the market for women’s products and services grows, and the opportunity lies in brand storytelling.

That’s because women respond better to emotional stimuli. PR is the art of telling the brand’s story in a manner that is relevant to various stakeholders, such as women. It is up to the industry to recognise this opportunity and build the requisite capabilities. It helps that the industry is staffed in such large numbers by women — simply because they are better communicators than men. Lastly, there is a great digital PR opportunity.

A recent report by Google said that 60 million of India’s 150 million internet users are women, who use the online medium to manage their day-to-day lives. The connected women are more affluent and younger, and the top categories they searched for were apparel and accessories, followed by food, baby care, haircare and skincare. Digital communications are growing to be PRled in India. The industry, wisely, invested early in digital competencies and has tasted great success in this area. If digital is the storytelling medium of the future, PR is the storyteller-in-chief.

‘News is a category which changes according to the prevailing conditions’

By Rajat Sharma

News happens to be the most dynamic category in the television industry. From being information driven, the news genre has come a long way to being open for some scope of infotainment as well. The news genre used to be almost men centric initially. The period when entertainment was introduced in the genre, the profile started becoming all adults but subjectively speaking, the involvement levels were always higher for male audiences.

With the transformational scenario prevailing in the country right now, serious news has again become the highpoint for news channels and thus profiling of men has again increased (though women also are taking good interest in news). Viewership data shows almost a 60:40 split in favour of men. Thus, news is a category which changes according to the prevailing conditions in the country at any given point of time.

Men’s changing role in family dynamics

By Harish Shriyan

Till about a decade or so ago, there was a clear demarcation between a man and woman’s role in the family. While the woman was essentially the caregiver and homemaker, man was the bread-earner of the family. However, these barriers are now being broken, with each entering into the other’s territory. There is a sharing of responsibilities too now. There are no straight jacketed roles that men and women are expected to play anymore. Earlier, men went to the market only to buy some high-end or technology products.

With the advent of malls and modern trade it has changed. It is quite common to spot couples shopping together in malls. They, together, make informed decisions and choose products based on careful deliberation. Men are far more involved now – they play a role even in purchase of household products. They, in fact, are very well informed about the brands. It is not only shopping, where men are playing a larger role now. With the number of working couples on the rise household work is a combined effort now. And that is the logical way to go.

Over the next year or two, definitely, serious news is going to keep the men more involved with elections coming up and the expected changes thereafter. After that it will be completely dependent on the mood of the country. It would be safe for me to say that no one can predict a long-term goal where the genre of news is concerned.

Even where women are not working, men are now more involved at home than they were some years back. With this, another interesting change has been that women are equally involved in decision making. It is no longer that a man takes a call, and rest of the family follows. The autocratic world is over. It was in a joint family that patriarch of the house took all the decisions. In a nuclear family, that concept is rapidly diminishing.

In fact, in urban areas more and more young women are emerging as the decision makers. The man-woman equality, and a more open society has also led to men being better groomed. Personal grooming is no longer a women-only domain. While most of these changes are more visible in urban India, things are changing in rural and semi-urban areas as well. Men are more involved in the family now, and it is just a matter of time when women begin emerging as decision makers there as well.

By Madan Sanglikar

By 2020, one thing is for sure that, internet access will become as good as a fundamental right. Just like electricity and water supply, availability of internet will be a key differentiator between a developed and a developing village/ town/ city/ country. Election manifestos will include it and governments will be formed or will fall based on how they deal with internet and it’s free usage.

Almost all devices will be connected and we will experience ‘always -on’ digital environment. So all home appliances and enterprise solutions will be based and connected via Internet. It will be normal to turn on/off, say, the household microwave oven at home, remotely via message or tweet. Consumer devices will be more and more portable while heavy duty fixed devices will be used for corporate enterprise requirements. In short IP addresses will not be restricted to computers or communication devices only.

By Alok Sanwal

The youth of India, which falls in the age bracket of 18-35 years is the largest such segment in the country. For iNext, this segment especially in the tier 2 cities forms our core TG. This consumer segment is hungry for knowledge, is extremely opinionated and technology savvy. So how do we as a newspaper organisation cater to this segment? We, in fact, have divided this TG into two groups: 18-25 years and the other segment being 18-35 years. Those who are below 25 years of age are not yet fully accomplished in their careers or they have just started out.

They want to know more, experience different things, and even take chances in the quest of fulfilling their needs. The consumer segment between 25-35 years are mature in nature; there is an automatic sense of responsibility towards family or career. They have a fixed schedule and pretty much follow the same practice on a daily basis. So their reading patterns will be different. Both these groups are highly active on social networks.

Education sector will see over dependence on the use of Internet via fixed and handheld devices. Technology solutions like scanning codes, augmented reality; gesture control would be a common feature. Individual/ entrepreneur run business, SMEs, traders would have evolved in their usage of Internet with physical last mile connectivity in remote locations. We will hopefully also see the emergence of digitally silent zones with different countries/ cultures coming up with their own rules/ best practices of disconnecting from digital devices for important occasions.

 

We achieve this on an ongoing basis by focusing on issues such as governance, healthcare, education, drive social causes and effect changes that brings harmony and welfare. For our TG, we’re not just a newspaper; we give them warmth and freedom as a friend, philosopher and a mentor. We don’t believe in taking a puritan moral ground where we would have to sermonize our readers over issues. To preach to today’s youth is to underestimate their wisdom and understanding.

We interact with them in their own language and within the local value system. iNext’s smart, easy to imbibe ensemble and bilingual persona resonates with the sensibilities of today’s youth, especially in the mini metros. Here, they want to break free from the customary mindset and also long for the lifestyle of the upmarket, urban and educated social strata. However, at the same time, they want to retain traditional values too. iNext provides an ideal mix by deftly combining youth centric fixtures, contests and activations with newsworthy and relevant content. Also we interact a lot with our readers to create that special bond so as to build a relationship with them.

By Prema Sagar

As in the rest of the world, in India too, the male consumer is often represented as a two-dimensional stick figure, and again like the rest of the world, the reality is very different. The Indian male consumer is multilayered and doing his best to cope with a rapidly changing world. Increasingly, men are being asked to step up and be more aware of their responsibilities as one half of the population. The ‘metrosexual’ male has to not only be the bread-winner but often compete with his partner and also be the ‘good’ husband, father, brother figure and ‘look good’ and ‘feel good’ all at the same time.

In the end it seems to come down to these two basic insights. Marketing to men has to stimulate a reaction that makes them think that what’s on offer will make them either ‘look good’ or ‘feel good’ and this is no different than say marketing to women. What is different, however, is the context, language, tonality and imagery that appeals to a man. Indian men are not a homogenous group— there are many sub-segments.

The most obvious being the rural-urban divide and the various age groups that marketers classically divide their target audience segmentation into. This needs to be taken into consideration by brands. For instance, the kind of television show that will interest a 20-year-old urban male will be different from what appeals to a 40-year-old rural male. Obviously, each brand has to find its own niche in this complex mind of the Indian man, but a brand that takes these complexities into cognizance enjoys a better resonance with the consumer base today.

By Arvind Sharma

Twenty years ago, men tried hard to look alike – like ordinary pheasants. One discovered a man’s worth only when a friend told you in whispers, ‘He is Kapoor of Kapoor Reality’. An average Indian man used to say, ‘I work for my wife and children and extended family. Personally, all I need is daal roti every evening (perhaps with a drink?). How much money does one need for that!’ No longer. In the last seven years or so, a number of trends have converged to transform consumption patterns among men.

Firstly, the growing importance of service economy has made presenting oneself in a stand out manner a professional necessity. Tech has been a huge driver of innovation across all sections of the population. At a more sociocultural level, increasing proportion of men want to find the woman of their dreams on their own- rather than have their moms arrange one. All in all, from an ascetic culture, we have moved to a culture of conspicuous consumption.

You’re what you own and what you consume. Marry these trends with the economic affluence that the past decade has spawned and together they have transformed men’s consumption landscape. They have made many a men’s categories explode. Men’s grooming is one of fastest growing segments in personal care. This includes deodorants as a category which every FMCG player wants to enter. And sub-categories within established categories like men’s fairness creams and hair care.

Brands need to look beyond the traditional mediums, and create conversations on new platforms, like digital and mobile. For any brand to be successful, messaging has to be on-target. The Indian male’s narrative is evolving and PR helps build that messaging for brands. In the automobile sector, for instance, the Indian male, which is the main TG, the messaging isn’t just for macho pride, but of pushing boundaries, projecting safe, responsible behaviour, an enterprising streak and more. Through the potent combination of messaging, storytelling, formats and reach, PR can help brands not just connect with the Indian male consumer, but even drive his preferences.

Sub-Rs. 500 IMFL is something you drink if you are not well off. It is the age of knowing your wine and your single malt. Luxury brands are not just about women’s bags. Tag Heur is the watch to own among a section to urban males. The phenomena may be very niche for the moment but the trend is growing. Decked with all his special, premium and luxury brands, the Indian male is increasingly like a peacock.

By Ambika Srivastava

As a starting point, one cannot look at women as a homogenous group and define their media consumption habits. To understand the media consumption habits of women, it is important to segment them not just on the basis of demographics but also on the basis of their values and lifestyles. Depending on the lens that you use to understand women, media consumption will differ quite significantly. For middle class women and women in smaller towns, television rules the roost, and it will continue to do so for some time.

However, use of mobile is changing life for these women – and in no small measure. Having said that, to leverage mobile from an advertising perspective, a lot needs to be done. For brands targeting masses, television would continue to drive reach. They might need to look at mobile more seriously though for more personalised communication with this target group. The role that media plays in the life of a woman depends on her life stage as well as her aspirations.

By Ajit Thakur

Despite the rise of specialty channels in India, the youth of India is consuming a lot of general entertainment content. On any given day, youngsters are watching at least one hour of TV content out of which a majority share goes to general entertainment. The youth can be divided in two groups: 25 years plus and the below 25 years audience. These are audiences who are either pursuing higher studies or have just started their professional careers.

The 25 plus audience have a sense of responsibility towards their company/profession and towards their family. They are hungry for knowledge, are intelligent and have an opinion on issues affecting the country and the world around. This is the segment that will drive the change, not only in terms of the kind of content that will be produced but also in terms of how the content will be consumed.

Subtle changes in television content are already seeping in. There are quite a few serials on air today where one sees the characters dealing with issues both at home, and at workplace. Working women find an association there as they can relate to the adjustments being made. For urban woman of today, anything that helps her cope with her new lifestyle and new demands that society is imposing on her is of relevance. Good examples here would be mobile, emails and social networking.

Today, television as well as the internet is the women’s window to the world –TV more for those without a smartphone. Both these media keep her entertained and well informed and connected. To make an impact, brands need to navigate the new media landscape well. Socio-economic status as well as the emotional needs of women are perhaps the most important criteria to consider while looking at media consumption.

It is time that the industry goes beyond entertainment to inspire and aspire people in the country. The youth of India is also the single largest consumer segment and it is this segment that will drive the change in the country. A lot of advertising is geared toward this consumer group. Channels that will offer differentiated, modern and relevant content will emerge victorious in engaging with this TG.

Go young to cater to the youth

By Prashant Panday

There is a belief amongst the marketing fraternity that unless the youth support your brand, it won’t even exist in a few years! What this means is that brands that are ranked “number 1” merely at an overall level, but which fail to get a similar ranking amongst the youth, are doomed to fail in the long run. The long run could be as short as five years. This is especially true in a country like India, where some 50 per cent of the population is below 25 years of age.

But here’s the conundrum. When we talk of the youth, what age group are we talking about? The 18-25, or the 12-18 year olds? For many, this may be a minor distinction, but for the marketing fraternity, it makes a world of a difference. The 25-year old is already too old for the 15-year old! I recently went to a McDonald’s and was surprised to see the behavior of the 15 or something junior college kids, especially when I compared it with that of the 25-year olds in my office.

These 15-year olds dressed far more coolly (which means shabbily!), were far more into their phones, were yapping excitedly and loudly, squatting bum-to-bum in crunched spaces with gay abandon, while my 25-year olds were already starting to become brand conscious, relatively sober and socially much more conscious – in short, a little “domesticated”! So in choosing which segment to cater to, one needs to be very very careful. Getting it wrong could be disastrous….. even fatal. Frankly, it’s virtually impossible for a brand to cater to the 15-year olds while also catering to the 25-year olds.

‘We need to empathise, understand and spend quality time with teens’

By Arijit Ray

We have been used to an array of interesting statistics on how teenagers and youngsters are rapaciously consuming brands and time on social media. India has about 24.2 million teenagers (between 13-19 yrs) on Facebook, which is the largest population on FB. Even more than teenagers in the US. It is obvious that they are spending large tracts of their time on social media. Their access to information is phenomenal. Something that was un-imaginable during our time. Rapid & Progressive advent of next level technology in smartphones is adding a different layer to instantaneous communication and gratification.

The latest facilitator is “What’s App”. Multiple groups, and sharing on this platform are defining their interactions. The capability to seamlessly share content is a double-edge sword. And the teens are living on the edge. Some administer caution but some don’t. And once it is in their hands, policing is the last option. Having said that, this is only one aspect of teenage behavior that one needs to be cognizant of…There are many shades and facets of their world which goes beyond their edgy online behaviour and cool new-age lingo.

At Mirchi, our core TG is the 18-25, with the bull’s eye being 18 (the upper limit is just to ensure that we don’t sway towards the younger teens). For this age group, the first thing a brand needs to do is be comfortable with its own identity. If the brand is Mirchi (a mass brand), then there is no point trying to be like MTV (a niche one). Pretending is the one thing the youth don’t tolerate. The other thing that matters a lot is the lingo. In today’s India, the job of language is to communicate.

It’s not to impress. The more casual the language, the better. The “Bambaiya” Hindi is much sought after with kids all around the country also mouthing a “vat lag gayi” every now and then! The definition of what is vulgar has also changed. “Ghanta” means what it means, nothing more and nothing less! Move over you fogies! The brand imagery is critical. High energy colors, pacy sounds and a little “firangi” packaging helps. And yet, there is always space for the pastels, the soulful lyrics and some very “desi” style.

The concept is to be comfortable with oneself, not pretentious like I said. The content for a radio station has to be a lot more bindaas, nothing too serious. Most kids hardly care about politics, or local/national issues (except a few like corruption), or intellectual stuff like literature fests or art shows. For them, it has to be a kitschy concoction of movies, music, cricket, gossip and even more gossip! The serious minded would find radio a tad below their taste (just like they would find Hindi GECs below their taste).

One last word. And perhaps the most important one. Being available in digital is most crucial. If you’re not available online, or on the mobile, you are a dinosaur! For Mirchi, a buzzing website, seven online radio stations with the promise of more, more than a handful mobile radio stations, an active and engaged social media presence, and several other content pieces strewn across various digital formats (itunes, youtube) works. All listener interactions happen over whatsapp and its various avatars. This digital presence is critical like I said. The youth is also very impatient. They keep you on your toes all the time. In today’s world, no one can take them for granted. But this is also what makes brand marketing so much fun! The youth may not buy much, but a lot of the marketing monies go towards them.

We are increasingly seeing a breed of very practical, smart, feet-on-the-ground individuals who are digital pioneers and so comfortable with technology that they are sensitive about how far they should go. The extent to which they stay within the norm or topple over, to a very large extent is directly proportional to the following a) The openness and the relationship they share with their parents b) The generational gap that is manifested in the homes c) The role parent’s play in navigating the crucial stages of adolescence and the amount of time spent giving them company. We are seeing more multi-faceted dimensions of their personality.

They are equally comfortable in watching the Potter series multiple times, going gaga, tracking every concert of One Direction on the one hand and keenly watching Breakout, or Mega Structures on National Geographic, or Jhalak Dikhla-jaa, KBC on primetime. As parents, as practitioners of advertising and marketing, we will have to take note that the current breed is far more aware than we ever were. And probably will learn to balance the offline and online worlds better.

Their sense of what is real and what is exaggerated is extremely pronounced. To conclude, the world of teenagers is complex and we should not try to decode it. All we need to do is empathise, understand and spend quality time when it is needed. That will be their greatest impetus in grooming them into well-rounded individuals.

Providing a platform for women to perform

By William S Pinckney

Sudha Mishra (name changed), a class tenth dropout and divorcee has many reasons to cheer for as today she is owner of a sufficiently large business which gives her recognition, fame, wealth, knowledge, friends and a new family in Amway business distributors. A decade ago, life was a ruined castle for her as she lost her husband and was deserted by her in-laws. Amway India has more than six lakh distributors of which almost 60 per cent are women.

A vast majority of them are housewives with diverse cultural and demographic orientation. Venturing into this business of direct selling, the Amway woman has successfully conquered great milestones, notably there are many who hail from smaller towns and cities wherein big multinational brands have minimal or no foothold.

Usually, women from these places are housewives living in joint families and have carved an indelible space for themselves in this male dominated world. They showcase peculiar characteristics when it comes for business building and entrepreneurial capabilities. Women are considered to be the backbone of the house but unfortunately, they receive least attention and recognition for all their sacrifices.

Role of PR in establishing a brand for Indian women consumers

By N S Rajan

Public Relation (PR) strategies in the consumer industry have traditionally segmented the market on the basis of income, demographics, geography, etc. But, increasingly, PR strategies of brands are fashioned to charm their most important decision-making audiences: women. The Ketchum ‘Marketing to Women’ PR practice estimates that women now control $3.3 trillion in consumer spending, are responsible for 80 per cent of household buying, control more than 50 per cent of the wealth in the US, make 62 per cent of all car purchases and take more than 50 per cent of all business trips.

Closer home, India is forecast to become the fifth-largest consumer market, with income levels expected to triple by 2025. According to a published report of a leading PE firm, women will make a significant impact as consumers, making India 12 per cent richer by 2015 and 25 per cent richer by 2025. Within that broad set, growth in the number of women entering the working population (38 per cent) will outstrip that of men (33 per cent) – numbers which go to prove that women as a segment will become equal if not more important than men! The modern Indian woman is a multidimensional personality.

She too has desires, dreams and ambitions which remain dormant unless an extra “Push” and a “Platform to perform” is given to her. Amway comes to her respite by way of a business opportunity which she can manage and grow within her family framework. It starts as a parttime business with some basic need fulfillment goals and with passage of time, she becomes a key driver in providing additional income to her family.

Women wish to create their own identity which can possibly give them self-pride and eternal satisfaction. They wish to explore and unleash their hidden inhibitions but lack an opportunity. Amway gives them that chance to move out of their spheres, interact, network and sell products to family members and friends.

She has successfully evolved from a home-maker to a chief partaker in decisions concerning her family, their future and their lifestyle. Empowered through education, employment and earnings, she is an inquisitive consumer: demanding answers and seeking value for her purchases. For a successful brand, she is the most important audience to influence in the consumer market. The communication strategy should appeal to her sensibilities and outlook. Only then, will the brand find itself a place in her lifestyle.

Increasingly brands are being launched and marketing is focused on sharp insights into Indian women. They try to understand what Indian women want, and build hugely successful offerings based on wonderful ideas that stem from that special local knowledge. The number of women-oriented magazines and television content exceed the number of magazines and TV content catering to men. Popular publications are translated into regional languages to cater to the vernacular women audiences.

Clearly marketers and PR managers are waking up to the power that women hold over household purchase decisions in India. In the past brands like Lakme, Femina, Titan and TVS have put Indian women first by understanding their unique needs, and thereby transformed the market. Lalitaji of Surf was another shining example of a campaign which not only made a competitive sales pitch but was also an education on prudent living. DSP BlackRock recently launched Winvestor, a unique platform that aids women take their own financial decisions independently.

There are many other product categories where the same transformation is waiting to happen. Perhaps, we will soon see Indian women’s brand of cars, footwear, mobile telephones or cameras. As brand strategies become increasingly women-oriented, we are also witnessing a paradigm shift in the communication approach. From merely disseminating information on the goods being sold, companies are now appealing to the personal, emotional as well as commercial aspects of the audiences’ persona.

PR campaigns are a lot more participative and community oriented – addressing issues such as health, safety, education and are no longer focused on conventional areas such as beauty, household essentials, etc. Clearly, the Indian PR industry is set for a revolution along the lines of the evolving role of women. Its effects will impact not only the existing generation of consumers but the community, as a whole.

I believe Public Relations, especially a mix of traditional and digital PR will be most effective to win over this consumer base with emotion, storytelling and building a genuine connect and trust with the new age woman – the most powerful consumer of tomorrow. Understanding any target is complex and women more so, but when brands succeed in getting the formula right they will be multibaggers and the big winners of tomorrow.

‘The need is to reach out to the value-conscious consumer’

By Shashi Sinha

As much as everyone was hoping to see their fortunes being revived on the back of a lacklustre 2012, the year 2013 too fell short of expectations where economic growth was concerned. While I don’t think that in the FMCG and regular consumption space there is much of a slowdown, but what is also noteworthy is that this country is very value driven – so people may upgrade, downgrade based on the value proposition. People might change their brand preference based on the value they see in it. I also believe, like most people say, that small town India is not as affected as big cities.

India moving from collective to individualistic society

Western society has been an individualistic society and hence there is digital penetration of a particular kind. India, meanwhile, has been a collective society and hence digital would come in; everyone would have access but consumption would be of a particular kind. For us it is collectivism – going out together, watching TV together, eating out together… That is what I used to say very strongly and religiously, because that is what I used to believe – that is our DNA, that is our upbringing, that is our religion. I used to stand up and present all over the world that Indians are different, Asians are different – internet would come in because it is an enabler but it would never overpower our lives because our culture is not individualistic. Now I am beginning to have doubts on that philosophy.

Purchase decisions

Purchase decisions in India, as compared to the Western world are still very collective. We are brand conscious but beyond a point we would not kill. While it comes to personal products it is not a question of life and death that I would buy my own personal products. Today, a lot of decision making is by the family and it is happening all over. Youngsters are more involved in such activities and chances are that they are better informed; I am not saying that they may be better educated. They are better informed because of the power of information, communication and the internet; they are more savvy. Finally, there are social codes of conduct as to who would close the decision, so all that would not change dramatically. There would be influencers but decision making would not change dramatically.

Changing man’s role in the family

While working woman is a big thing in lower SECs, in higher SECs it is relatively speaking a small market. Decision making process today has become more democratised. Earlier, it was like father said it all – and nothing could be done, it was a diktat. Now there is a bit of a collective discussion but finally at the end of the day it is the man who is the chief wage-earner and he makes the final decision. So it has not swung the other way – it has changed definitely – there is lot more democracy, discussion and dialogue. But the man is still at the epicentre of it all. I don’t think the role has changed. It has however, got a wider set of influence.

Where traditional media is concerned, it is not about reach but engagement. Numbers today might show that some of the target groups can still be reached. But for me what matters is engagement – and that is the big challenge. There are specific silos. For too long, India has been a one-size-fits-all market. Be it from a communication standpoint or advertising or even media. What worries me is that many people still look at digital as another medium. They do not see it as another way of communicating. So the same message will be tweaked a little bit and put into the digital medium. I don’t think we that marketers and advertisers have kept pace with that change. All said and done, India is a hierarchal country, and the policies are predominantly set by the seniors. So frankly speaking, it is fashionable to say digital.

Social media

On one level, I can say that social media is here to stay and that one cannot get away with it. However, some people are also using it as a fad. Many companies want to be there on social media because it is fashionable. If we remain a collective society social media may diminish, however, if we become an individualistic society, social media is the only way to stay connected. Today, India is the second or third largest country on Facebook and Twitter. A lot of it is relevant. Finally, we have our own echo system – I go back to my own community or society people. Sunday mornings are spent having breakfast or watching a movie together with family, but if there is an escape mechanism here then social media would always remain on the fringe. If you are left by yourself for four to six hours a day, then it becomes tough and you need social media.

‘Consumers are equal participants in terms of value creation’

By CVL Srinivas

At the start of the calendar year 2013, we at Group M projected an approximate nine per cent growth rate for the advertising industry. The first six months from January – June went pretty well. As an industry, we did better than what we had projected. As per our estimates, we grew 15 per cent in the first six months of the year. However, July onwards things definitely started slowing down. The sentiment was a bit negative towards the end.

Consumer offtake

What we pick up from our clients is that consumer off take has slowed down in the last few months. There is a slowdown in terms of discretionary and premium items being purchased. Overall slowdown and sluggishness seems to be more in the top tier cities. As far as the smaller towns or the rural markets go, the results published by large FMGC companies have shown a pretty decent off take in terms of rural demand. Given that we had a good monsoon, and given all the schemes being announced by the Government, it appears that going forward rural demand should not get impacted much.

Increasing consumerism

Consumerism has been growing over the last many years with more and more people moving above the poverty line and coming into middle class. FMGC products which are, by and large, more of a necessity in big towns among higher SECs, will soon start becoming a necessity even down the pop strata, and that is when we will start seeing huge growth in FMCG consumption.

Stratification of society

India will always have its own unique position when it comes to questions like stratification of society. To some extent higher SECs in urban India are mirroring what is happening in the western markets and in the more developed economies, where it is becoming a more individualistic unit. For instance, media consumption is becoming highly personalised. Having said that, there will always be segments of consuming class, whether in bigger cities or in smaller towns, where the family as a unit will get a very important consideration from marketers, and the whole collective force of society will continue to play a role in decision making.

Man’s role in family dynamics

Traditionally, we used to look at the male to be a breadwinner of the family who didn’t know much beyond his profession. However, in the last five to ten years, we have seen quite a shift in the urban society with the man playing a pretty important part in helping the wife in bringing up children, and also doing a lot of other household chores which earlier they were not getting into. Today it is far more equitable distribution of tasks both at home and outside between the male and female – they both wear multiple hats.

Impact of Digital media

With the proliferation and the consumption of digital media having gone up in larger towns, family viewing time in front of television is definitely coming down. We have moved to an era where each of us gets engaged with our own screen whether we are at home, or whether we are in the office. We consume media, content and advertising the way we want it, at the time we want it. The challenge for marketers is to be able to adapt to this form of consumer behaviour.

In smaller towns, as of now, because of the infrastructural and bandwidth issues Internet penetration hasn’t gone up. However, there we see a lot of traction for the mobile phone. In the smallest of towns in India today there are consumers, both male and female, who are pretty adept at using mobile phones not just as a means of communication but also as a means of receiving brand messaging. Mobile has almost removed the divide between the top tier and smaller towns.

Consumer expectations in next five years

Consumers today are, first of all, far more exposed to the available options. Thanks to digital media, people in India pretty much know about new trends, products or services almost at the time they are launched in any corner of the world. The whole awareness level has gone up tremendously. The second development obviously has been the way digital social media has provided consumers a platform to voice their opinions. Earlier it was just one way communication between the brand and the consumer but today it is pretty much two way.

Where mobile is concerned, everyone says that mobile will do well because it is so cheap; smartphone penetration is also increasing. But its capabilities are limited. So it all depends on when the capabilities improve in terms of what all you can do. Again the fashionable thing to say is that mobile will do well because the numbers are huge.

Consumer expectations

India is a very value conscious society. Value does not necessarily mean cheap, but it is a very strong value-conscious society. And I believe that will always remain. Secondly, sometimes marketers, and more than marketers, advertisers and advertising agencies, in their desire to find a difference make a lot of claims but the consumer sees it as a simple filter. Our culture, our history is so strong that finally it is not about education but that our mental knowledge is so strong. As long as you talk simply, and you talk genuinely, it works. I have been with ASCI for over 10 years and have observed that the first 50 per cent complaints are from competitors. But there are also a lot of complaints that come from consumers. A lot of them ask us why are we doing this. For every 10 consumers that write to us there would be a 100 that do not write to us. And the effect of this is that they stay away from that product. We are lucky that we get some customer complaints and we can read their mind. We make silly claims, silly statements…we think we are too clever. But the Indian customer is very intelligent and is also very valueconscious. You have to treat them with dignity and respect.

Marketers of today are keeping pace with the evolving customer. A whole lot of marketers do a lot of research. I think where marketers are getting caught up is in their competitive pressures. So it is not that they are not keeping track of evolving customers – they know how he/she is evolving. But too often we look at competition more than desired rather than focussing on the consumers. We have to learn to look at the consumer first.

Where a happy family is concerned, it is important to strike the right balance. My two children were overseas but now both of them are back and we are happy together. We have a formula for being a happy family. The formula is we stay together – we so have some separate time and some bonding time for ourselves. Some days they do their own stuff and we do not ask questions but there are days where we spend time together. True happiness is found in striking the right balance.

A number of brands have today realised that consumers are equal participants in terms of value creation, and they are willing to listen to consumers a lot more. Such brands will continue to have a loyal following and would thrive. For the brands that would continue to believe in one way communication, the consumer base will obviously get eroded over a period of time.

A happy family

My definition of a happy family is a family that still wants to be together despite all the attractions and distractions that are there in this world. The family that can still be together and share common interest and common bond is a happy family for me.

The message is the medium: Connecting effectively with teens

By Rohit Ohri

Back in 1964, the renowned Canadian communication theorist Marshall McLuhan coined the terms “The medium is the message.”

In the media-fragmented, choice-exploded consumer economy of India today, perhaps the opposite is true. Especially when it comes to reaching that mercurial group of constituents, teens. In a multi-screen media environment with the average teen holding the reins to each of the multiple screens, there is no predicting the most opportune time or location to connecting with them.

So what’s a brand to do?

As Bob Dylan sang immortally,

“The old order is

Rapidly fadin’

And the first one now

Will later be last

For the times they are a-changin’.”

Focus on fresh content & social engagement will be vital

By Ferzad Palia

The major growth in terms of viewership for both English comedy (Comedy Central) as well as international music (VH1) will come from the youth.

Let’s talk about Comedy Central first. When we launched the channel last year, it was already well known as an international channel that does quality programming. So it wasn’t very difficult for us to create awareness around the brand. We knew that what would matter at the end of the day would be content that would be liked and watched by Indians between the age bracket of 14-44 years. So our TG is a mix of youth as well as some mature audience.

For the past two years, I’ve seen the channel grow in popularity in India. That is because a lot more Indians now speak and understand English. Thanks to the Internet, we’ve become a far smaller world, and people are more exposed to western culture and trends, which is why we can even accept standup comedy today.

A quick reality check of how brands today are trying to connect with teens reveals an approach that basically is based upon bombarding everybody everywhere in the slim hope of hitting a ‘target’ audience somewhere. Technology and social media, have only served to compound that. In effect, as an anonymous internet cartoon aptly put it, marketers are telling teens daily that “we just tweeted you that we facebooked you that we googleplussed you that we blogged that we’ve sent you an email newsletter with an update.”

It seems like the medium is the mess, rather than the message. So instead of trying to figure out when teens might be most receptive (which, even, many brands are not doing), what brands ought to be doing is creating messages that they would want to be receptive to. The 3-word mantra for that is I.R.E. Create a message that scores on Interest, Relevance, Engagement.

So that neither the time nor the location of the medium matter. Pause and think for a moment for what teens consume. They may use words such as “hatke” or “different” to describe what they’re drawn to. But from the cat videos they consume by the millions to the vocabulary they are constantly inventing, morphing while texting, to the games they addictively, endlessly play on their mobiles, what reels them in and keeps them hooked are things and people that are interesting, relevant and engaging.

It’s how Brand Aamir Khan doesn’t ever get old, reinventing himself from the chocolate hero of QSQT and JJWS (that’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander for the oldies) to the coming-of-age, generation-defining protagonist of DCH, to the rebel with causes of RDB, TZP, to the psyche explorer of Peepli Live, Talaash, and Satyameva Jayate. It’s how Airtel reinvented itself by finding a fresh, new slice of sharing and friendship with HFZ and Jo tera hai woh mera hai.

It’s how Old Spice made itself cool with a generation that thought it was as uncool as dad with The Man Your Man Could Smell Like. The examples are endless. The principles are the same. And have probably been the same always. To reach teens when they are most receptive, be interesting, be relevant, be engaging. Right here. Right now.

In the next five to six years, we will be the largest English speaking population. And this growth is not just coming from the seven metros, but also from smaller towns and cities. For VH1, however, there is a big growth happening in the metros. This growth can be attributed to live events/concerts and of course due to a higher demand of international music on TV.

For both the channels, our strategy is to offer fresh content and keep our audiences engaged via social platforms – that’s absolutely critical as our viewers spend maximum time online, from multiple devices. That’s where consumers openly talk about celebrities, music, gossip, so on and so forth.

As a channel brand catering to that audience, the endeavour is to participate in those conversations. Quality of social conversations is also a measure of how your channel is doing, if you’re a channel catering to an audience that has an affinity for international content.