MxMIndia

Tag: VML Qais

  • Consumers' need for cultural identity offers opportunities for brands, notes VML Qais' Generation Asia 2014 research

    The World is Flat, but Culture isn’t History

     

    By A Corespondent

     

    Consumer concerns about the erosion of cultural identity necessitates a new ‘Culturalisation’ approach to marketing communications, according to latest findings from VML Qais’ GenAsia  2014 pan-regional research.

     

    This year’s wave of GenAsia found that 75 percent of 36-60 year olds, and 70 percent of 18-35 year olds in India, fear for the ongoing erosion of traditional values.

     

     

     

    Some other interesting findings from Generation Asia on “Culturisation”

     

    General

    1. Society is far more progressive and tolerant now says 75% but at the same time another 72% say that while life has changed, family values remain the same

    2. Apart from its products, what a brand believes in and how much they know of my own ethos is important – 71%

    3. Foreign influences should be embraced, we can learn from other cultures say 72% but 75% want to stay loyal to tried and tested brands they know of

    4. 74% worry that the moral standards of society have become lower

     

    Beauty

    1. Beauty products with natural ingredients are better, especially ones which used to be home remedies – 85%

     

    Entertainment

    1. I prefer entertainment where I can bring my whole family along say 83%

     

    Fashion

    1. As long as I find clothes that suit my personality, I don’t care what label they are from – 76%

    2. I love buying brands that are unique – 65%

     

    Food

    1. Meal times are special occasions, we do try eat together as a family – 77%

    2. I am a creature of habit, I stick to food I like – 73%

     

    Travel

    1. Travelling to new places is a great way to learn about new cultures – 74%

     

    Luxury

    1. I choose luxury brands that reflect my own personality – 71%

    2. Luxury is being free to express my individuality – 70% 

     

    Conducted by WPP-owned VML Qais, GenAsia is the world’s largest attitudinal study on connected Asians.The study includes 34,000 respondents across 10 Asian markets. In 2014, the study looks into the 36-60-year-old segment (Power) adding to insights already collated for the 18-35 (Potential) demographic. In India, the study covers 2,000 respondents in the five cities of Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chandigarh.

     

    The study uncovered that 72% of 36 to 60-year-olds and 77% of 18 to 35-year-olds like living in a world that is flat and imbibing from other cultures, however, there is a strong sense that development equals sameness. A surprising 77% of 18-35 year olds try to preserve cultural connections through family values.

     

     

     

    Indians are seeking a sense of identity and relevance, of ‘here’ rather than ‘anywhere’, rejecting the global homogeneity that too many are embracing. The ‘worldwide vanilla’ approach to everything represents a missed opportunitywhen so many consumers are craving relevance based upon cultural values.

     

    At the same time, they are open to learning from the world and adopting world formats, as long as they have a hint of their “own” in them. “This insight helps global brands looking to connect with Indian consumers think differently. Itis a new approach to marketing communications that we call ‘Culturalisation.’ This need to be able to talk to a generation’s cultural identity is what brands need to think about, instead ofendless discussions aroundGlobalisation versus Localisation,” explains Tripti Lochan, CEO of VML Qais.

     

    Findings showed that despite the generation gap between Potential and Power, both agreed but from very different directions. The older ‘Powers’ were raised with advertising that encouraged them to aspire to ‘international’ ideals, the younger ‘Potentials’ increasingly seek their own cultural place in the world.

     

    The study was launched in Mumbai and New Delhi with panel discussions. The Mumbai leg discussed how Culturisation is affecting women in India and their attitudes to multiple categories of beauty, love, communication, careerand fashion, given the findings: 74% women think that being in a marriage is only worth it if one is happy and 59% think love is over rated, marriages are about compromise; 62% women feel good looks makes a difference in career more than talent, whilst only 53% men think so.

     

    The all-women panelists were Anu Menon (aka Lola Kutty), Asha Hariharan (Beauty Expert), Charlotte Chunawala (Communications expert), Elizabeth Venkatraman (Senior VP, Marketing, Kotak Life Insurance), Megha Sarin (Fashion and Food blogger), NonitaKalra (Columnist and former Editor of Elle) and Vrushali Telang (Author and former Anchor).

     

    And in Delhi, the theme was on how Culturisation is impacting Parenting in India, given the findings: 91% of Delhi parents surveyed say their kids are the center of their lives, but only 60% rate their kids having fun as more important than them studying and 74% say they make sure everything in their kids’ lives is ‘arranged’ by them.

     

    The panelists were Jyotsna Ghoshal (Director Corporate Communications, Merck & Co.), Prasanto Roy (Writer/Speaker on Tech, Digital, Green, former President & Chief Editor Cyber Media Group),Ranu Kawatra, (Advisor, Edutopia),Sharmila Bakshi (Political Science teacher, Vasant Valley School), Sumit Vohra (CEO & Founder, AdmissionsNursery.com) and Swati Bhattacharya (former NCD of JWT now leading Dentsu’s Mama Labs).

     

  • VML Qais, the Indian arm of Cannes Lion-winning network VML, has won all the digital duties for Religare Technologies' Healthcare IT service offering, HealthFore

    VML Qais wins digital duties of HealthFore, division of Religare Technologies

    By A Correspondent

     

    VML Qais, the Indian arm of Cannes Lion-winning network VML, has won all the digital duties for Religare Technologies’ Healthcare IT service offering, HealthFore.

     

    Covering the entire gamut of healthcare operations for providers on all levels, HealthFore provides robust, scalable and efficient IT platforms across a wide spectrum of care delivery including a unique mHealth service where patients can talk to medical practitioners on their Airtel mobile phones.

     

    VML Qais will be responsible for developing the digital roadmap of all the B2B services of the HealthFore brand – including website builds, social media and SEO.

     

    Commenting on the appointment, VML Qais CEO Tripti Lochan said, “We are extremely excited to be working with HealthFore on this unique and dynamic service offering. Healthcare in India is growing exponentially, and we are proud to have been chosen as the agency that will partner HealthFore in their growing thrust towards bettering healthcare services in the country.”

     

    “We are delighted to be working with VML Qais as we grow and expand the healthcare market in India. As we move forward, digital will play an increasingly key role is helping us reach out to the right audience and educate users on our various products. We found VML Qais to be the right partner, in both capability and spirit, to take us where we want to go,” said Pankaj Vaish, CEO, HealthFore.

     

    The HealthFore win is an exciting addition to VML Qais’ already robust portfolio of clients in India, which includes Mahindra & Mahindra, ICICI Bank, Revlon India and Tata Motors.

     

  • Tripti Lochan, CEO, VML Qais stresses on the need for real-time creation of branded content by brands and how regional clients are increasingly demanding India-specific strategies as part of value-added services

    We are very optimistic about India: Tripti Lochan

    By Johnson Napier

     

    Digital marketing agency VML Qais has had a busy 2012-13 helping multinational clients and digital start-ups chart their digital course and implement groundbreaking online initiatives. One such recent example the agency undertook was an online study for their client Revlon India, which was conducted to better understand the mindset of Indian women and their attitudes and habits towards foundation.

     

    According to Tripti Lochan, CEO, VML Qais, as was the case with Revlon India, brands are today recognizing that digital provides a more powerful engagement than any other media. In fact she is very confident that marketers will soon be putting their dollars more convincingly behind digital.

     

    In an interaction with MxMIndia, Ms Lochan stresses on the need for real-time creation of branded content by brands and how regional clients are increasingly demanding India-specific strategies as part of value-added services. Excerpts:

     

    We know of brands flocking to the social media platform to reach out to their audiences wherever they are. What was unique about the social media exercise you undertook with your client Revlon India?

    We believe that all strategy needs to be driven by consumer insights. As a first step for Revlon India, we carried out a social listening piece, to understand real consumer conversations & attitudes regarding beauty, health, and wellness. Our strategy was then pivoted on these insights. With Revlon India we are bench-marking not only against Indian competition but global beauty and fashion players like MAC/ Estee Lauder/ Burberry. We want to use social media as a long-term conversation platform that allows Revlon to continuously gain insights from consumers, and be relevant to their needs.

     

    Any notable trends that emerged as the users sampled your questions/survey?

    There were a lot of interesting trends, notably the fact that Indian women prefer natural make-up. Colours are welcome but those that work best with Indian skin tones. Many Indian women are multi-tasking and looking for beauty brands that match that lifestyle – easy to use and long-lasting are two recurring needs. This is validated through Generation Asia India research that we carried out earlier in the year where the theme of individualism is strong.

     

    Is a sample size of 75,000 (via online) big enough a number to convert perception to reality? Did you consider collating inputs through the offline route as well?

    It is a substantial sample to consider. And since our strategy was online focused, with focus on communicating on Facebook, we wanted to get the perception of this audience – which is digital, the connected segment.

     

    As a digital agency, how according to you have brands woken up to pursuing online marketing activities in terms of budgetary allocations and importance vis-a-vis traditional mediums?

    The spends on digital do not by any stretch of the imagination mirror the time consumers are spending online. This is because brands have a “comfort factor” concerning spending on things they know well. But the good news is that brands are recognizing that digital provides a more powerful engagement than any other media. We are already seeing experimental budgets being set aside. I am very confident that marketers will soon be putting their dollars more convincingly behind digital. If you look at a brand like Revlon, it’s an opportunity to replicate beauty-counter conversation around make-up into a digital dialogue with consumers. Which other medium would allow them this?

     

    VML Qais seems to have an array of corporate clients under its belt. What makes your firm an agency to vie for?

    As an agency we have a firm belief: we are marketers first, before anything else. And as marketers, we keep to the fundamentals of marketing: take direction from business objectives, base everything on consumer insights, and think holistically. Yes, digital is complex; it requires an understanding of an added layer – technology. Of course the importance of understanding this cannot be underestimated. And to steer through this requires you to have the ability to join the dots – between what your business objectives are as a brand, what consumers want, and what technology allows us to do today. We believe that technology will continue to change, as it has been over the last decade. There are new developments that impact marketing every day. And we need to be in continuous curiosity and learning mode, so we can help our clients navigate through this sometimes-confusing environment. The first thing I tell our clients is that we are not experts in their business – and that we learn as much from them as they do from us. As an agency, it is our desire to do the best we can by our clients that shows results.

     

    What is the trend you anticipate 2013 to throw up regarding brands taking the social media space for marketing & promotional activities?

    I think one of the most interesting trends we have been seeing is the real-time creation of branded content by brands. This is the ability, in real time, to look at conversation in real time, create a point of view or response against this, weaving in the brand’s POV. This, done in an innovative, creative way, can be used for marketing and promotional activities by brands.

     

    What does 2013 augur for VML Qais on the growth front in India?

    We continue to have some really interesting projects at hand in India. Our client relationships are strong and growing. We have set some aggressive growth targets for VML Qais in the region, including for India. The year has begun well with big regional wins. We see a lot of our regional clients wanting specific India strategies, and that is part of the value-add we can offer them. We are able to provide global insights in India to brands that want to benchmark against global competitors, and Indian companies that want a regional or even global strategy. We are very optimistic about India.

     

  • Jaldi 5 with Tripti Lochan, CEO-Asia, VML Qais on the Cannes winning agency’s foray to India and plans ahead

    Jaldi 5 with Tripti Lochan, CEO-Asia, VML Qais

    Tripti Lochan

    By Tuhina Anand

     

    1. Does the tag of ‘Cannes Lion winning network’ make it easier for VML Qais to make inroads into India?

    Winning Cannes Lions is a fantastic achievement – because being recognized for something like Cannes is a validation of one’s work. But in India clients are looking for our local portfolio as much as they are looking at what VML has achieved globally. To that end, awards are great – but equally important is the context of work you do in that market for brands that are recognized.

     

    2. How do you perceive the Indian digital advertising space and the opportunities here?

    The Indian digital advertising space is an extremely interesting place to be. There are fantastic opportunities, and brands that have global aspirations. But, digital is still at the “lets experiment seriously with it” stage. As brands get successful with their digital initiatives, we will see the real opportunities open up.

     

    3. What will be your focus for the next year in India?

    Continuing to build a solid company, hiring the right people, delivering against the promise we have made to clients, and ensuring that best practices from around the world are show-cased to our clients.

     

    4. What is one factor that differentiates VML from others in India operating in a similar space?

    It’s our insights-based strategic thinking. What we recommend to clients is based on real knowledge of what users want from specific brands. We create actionable insights through research that drives strategy. We have a full research team that does 360-degree research that drives strategy. This is our differentiation.

     

    5. What is the biggest drawback in India that is holding back the progress of digital advertising/marketing making the most of its potential?

    Frankly, India is like the rest of the world in its evolution of digital. The budgets put against digital advertising do not reflect the amount of time consumers are spending online. When this imbalance gains equilibrium, that’s when we will see the real potential of digital unfold!