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Transcript of The marksman july 2011
CURRENCY
BRANDING GREEN
BRANDING
MOBILE
MARKETING
COMSTRAT
WINNERS 2010
4
JULY 2011 01
EDITOR’S DESK
JUNE 2011
Greetings from Team Marksman!
It’s that time of the year when the campus is teeming with fresh energy. En-
ergy that is seeking direction, that is continuously on the lookout for quality
information. With that in mind, Interface-the Marketing Club of SIMSR
would like to proudly present to you the 2nd issue of “The Marksman”. For
the uninitiated, a Marksman stands for a sharp shooter. And that is exactly
what we are, sharp, crisp and to the point.
At Marksman, we endeavour to bring to you not only the latest happenings
from the world of marketing, but also bring forth subjects which still are
nascent like our cover story, Neuromarketing. It’s a technology so powerful
that if used intelligently, has the capacity to change the way consumer be-
haviour is studied.
Other than the cover story, this issue is replete with articles you can draw a
wealth of knowledge from. It delves into the rebranding of our currency and
green branding. Our bookworm section, tweets and Buzz will appeal to all.
We would also like to congratulate the winners of our featured articles.
Signing off, we would like to dedicate this issue to all the victims of the 13/7
Mumbai blasts. In our own little way, we pledge our solidarity to the victims
and their families.
Hope you enjoy this issue as much as we did making this for you.
NEUROMARKETING ……………………………………………………………………………...03
RE-BRANDING THE INDIAN CURRENCY ……………………………………………………….05
(Re)BRANDING GONE WRONG ………………………………………………………………..07
GREEN BRANDING ……………………………………………………………………………….11
MOBILE MARKETING ……………………………………………………………………………..12
SUBLIMINAL MARKETING...……………………………………………………………………….14
NEW VIRTUAL MARKETING BATTLEFIELDS ……………………………………………………15
BOOKWORM ……………………………………………………………………………………..17
NUKED ……………………………………………………………………………………………...18
REWIND ……………………………………………………………………………………………19
TWEETS ……………………………………………………………………………………………..22
BUZZ ………………………………………………………………………………………………..24
THE MARKSMAN 02
NEUROMARKETING– Unravelling a Customer’s mysterious Buy-ology
With the progress of science, it is now possible to tap into a consumer’s mind and understand how exactly
does the brain respond to the various marketing activities. This new and more accurate form of market
research is known as Neuromarketing. Read on to find out more about this new compelling field of Mar-
keting
What is Neuromarketing?
Neuromarketing is where science meets marketing.
It is a union of Neuro Science and marketing, a un-
ion that sheds new light on why we make some of
the buying decisions that we make i.e right from
food, to cell phones, to soaps, & shampoos.
A research discipline which is still in its infancy,
Neuro Marketing uses high tech brain scanning
techniques such as fMRI (Functional MRI, explained
l a t e r i n t h e a r t i c l e ) a n d E E G
(Electroencephalogram) to investigate brain activity.
This neuro-imaging hardware helps us examine
what really drives our behaviour, our opinions, our
preferences for a McDonald‘s over a KFC, Chinese
food over Italian food, or one shampoo brand over
another.
fMRI (Functional MRI)
fMRI is similar to an MRI,
except that that instead of
trying to detect injuries in
the brain it scans the brain
for any specific areas of the
brain (such as perception,
language and memory) that may be active at that
moment in time, hence the name ―functional MRI‖.
It involves very rapid scanning of the brain to see
which areas of the brain become activated while
the subject is being put through various tests (such
as viewing an object, hearing the name of a brand,
etc).
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
It is a technique for measuring the electrical activi-
ties that take place within the brain using special
sensors (electrodes) attached to the head of the
brain to see which areas of the brain become acti-
vated while the subject is being put through various
tests (such as viewing an object, hearing the name
of a brand, etc).
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
It is a technique for measuring the electrical activi-
ties that take place within the brain using special
sensors (electrodes) attached to the head
Understanding our buy-ology
Up until now, most marketing, branding and adver-
tising strategies have been based on research, both
qualitative and quantitative. But the fact is, roughly
90% of the of the consumer buying decisions are
unconscious, and we can‘t explain our preferences,
or likely buying decisions with substantial accuracy.
So the marketing surveys and customer question-
naires are questionable. As organisations pour in
Millions and millions of rupees into advertising that
may or may not hit the spot, the marketing frater-
nity realises that the time has come for a paradigm
shift. Advertisers need to know what exactly
JULY 2011 03
directs our buying decisions, NeuroMarketing
helps us make the transition towards the real facts
of why we buy.
The advent of NeuroMarketing helps us bypass
the need for the traditional question and answer
mode of research and straight goes to the source
of the information -the buyer‘s brain, rather than
asking them questions and depending on their re-
sponses, responses which many a times even the
respondents aren‘t quite sure of.
Today we know very little about the brain, and
how tapping directly into the buyers‘ brain will
help the marketeers. But in times to come, as we
will learn more and more about the functions of
the brain and decipher the information regarding
the brain activities, we will have a much larger
framework within which to interpret the data.
You could compare what we know of the brain
today to what Christopher Columbus knew of the
globe in the 15th century. His charts sure repre-
sented a great leap forward for the human civilisa-
tion in terms of the knowledge of the world, but
in hindsight, we realise there was so much yet to
be discovered. Our current knowledge of the
brain, and its impact on marketing, is similarly
primitive.
NeuroMarketing being put to through the
test
“The Pepsi Paradox”
P. Read Montague, a neuroscientist at Baylor Col-
lege of Medicine performed his own version of the
famous Pepsi Taste challenge of the 80‘s, with the
help of Neuroscience. He gave 67 people a blind
taste test of both Coke and Pepsi, then placed his
subjects in the fMRI scanner to detect the brain
cell activities of each of the 67 volunteers.
After tasting each drink, all the volunteers showed
strong activation of the reward areas of the brain-
-which are associated with pleasure and satisfac-
tion--and they were almost evenly split in their
preferences for the two brands. But when Monta-
gue repeated the test and told them what they
were drinking, 75% of the people said they pre-
ferred Coke, and their brains showed why: not
only were the reward systems active, but memory
regions also lit up, indicating a higher thought
process. This showed that the subjects were asso-
ciating the drink with positive images and branding
messages from Coke‘s commercials, clearly show-
ing that the brand has a certain value in the brain
system above and beyond the content of the can.
I n o t h e r
words, all the
Coke com-
mercials did
exactly what
they were sup-
posed to do:
seep into the
brain and leave
associations so
powerful they could even override a preference
for the taste of Pepsi, leading Montague into nam-
ing his taste test ―The Pepsi paradox‖.
.
Signing off, it is clear that Neuromarketing is the
next leap forward in Market research. Something
which will give us apt and accurate data in terms
of customer buying decisions and patterns and
those who embrace it the earliest, stand to gain
maximum from this technology
THE MARKSMAN 04
The search for a new Indian rupee symbol had
started in February 2009. The union finance
ministry announced a nationwide contest for
the design of the symbol. The eventual winner
was D. Udaya Kumar, a student from the Indian
Institute of Technology. After more than one
year, finally new rupee sym-
bol was unveiled by the jury
panel headed by Deputy
Governor of the Reserve
Bank of India in July,2010
What does it mean for
India?
It will help Indian currency in
re branding itself and to
prove its stability in the fluc-
tuating market of global cur-
rencies. The currency of a
nation is its ambassador
across countries,‖ says Harish Bijoor, brand-
strategy specialist & CEO of Harish Bijoor Con-
sults Inc. ―The currency of a country is also a
symbol of its status. Its value and its exchange
rate is a symbol of its strength and stability as a
nation, both political and economic .
[It is] therefore much more than what it seems
to be.‖ Bijoor, who is also a visiting professor at
the Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business
(ISB), adds that the symbol for the rupee is yet
another stepping stone to future greatness for
the country. This generates high possibility for
the Indian currency to establish itself as a cur-
rency of choice for the international commu-
nity. It is not just about the currency, it also
provides a branding opportunity for the wider
Indian economy. It may not affect the strength
of the brand but will definitely enhance the im-
age.
In marketing, we call it rebranding. Rebranding
should reflect what the underlying brand is
about; in this case it‘s a
growing economy, a confi-
dent economy, a large econ-
omy. Brands are a promise
of performance which peo-
ple associate with in their
minds. Here, we need to see
that what India wants to
convey and what is the basis
behind it. We cannot make
promises which we cannot
deliver, is India ready to be
called a First world country?
It is an exercise to say that if we want to be-
come a superpower, then we should have a
symbolic code which is reflective of our culture.
We have always been known more for our cul-
ture than other countries. India has used its soft
power to Brand India-its dance, music, movies
etc.
The rupee symbol reflects the ambition of India
to position its currency among the top four
currencies of the world. To make the world
realize its ability to survive even through a melt-
down .To project India as a growing economy
with full confidence on its resources and capa-
bilities .
RE-BRANDING THE INDIAN CURRENCY
Indian rupee got a new unique symbol — a blend of the Devanagri 'Ra' and Roman 'R' — joining elite cur-
rencies like the US dollar, euro, British pound and Japanese yen in having a distinct identity . This historic land-
mark in Indian economy was a rebranding of the Indian currency, a symbol of the high ambitions of modern
India. Below is an attempt to analyse impact of re-branding strategy of Indian currency in global arena.
JULY 2011 05
Just like any other brand needs to be promoted,
efforts should be made to promote the brand.
First within India, using multimedia ads, where
TV would be the dominant media. Then, across
financial centers all over the world. There could
be global road shows at major financial centers
all over the world.
Future of the symbol
New series of coins will be unveiled soon carry-
ing the Rupee symbol, finance minister Pranab
Mukherjee announced in the Budget
The new Indian rupee symbol is becoming a
fashion statement for the consumer electronics
manufacturer in the country. TVS recently
launched a new keyboard model which features
this symbol (though without any apparently uni-
versal support). Lava Mobiles has launched a
new special edition mobile phone with the ru-
pee symbol accessible from one of the keys.
The symbol will definitely receive a huge fanfare
in India. But the success of this move will be
determined by its acceptance in the Global
arena.
THE MARKSMAN 06
For most big companies today, their logo has
become an integral part of their identity, more
so as the customers, whether purchasing the
product or not, are likely to come into contact
with the logo on a rather more regular basis.
Therefore, the companies today are leaving no
stone unturned to make sure that their logos
connect with the audiences. Even if they have to
undergo a makeover to seemingly stay con-
nected with the audiences, so be it.
There are many reasons why a company would
change their logo or re-brand themselves. Some
do it to refresh their image (Tropicana), some
because they wish to diversify the business of
the brand (Airtel, Starbucks), while some to In-
fuse youthfulness and vivacity into their brands
(Godrej).
But Re-branding has always invited reactions,
both positive as well as negative, from all cor-
ners of the market. The ones most vocal are
usually the customers, as most of them have
decades of connection with the brand, and they
themselves would not like the heritage of the
brand to crumble right in front of them. On
other occasions, it‘s plain unnecessary changes
that the company brings about.
Here we look at some of the Re-branding exer-
cises that have back fired for the brand
GAP
The Epitome of Re-
branding having gone bad,
legendary American
clothing company Gap,
changed from their tradi-
tional blue box logo to a
more modern logo. Or
so the company thought, but its die hard customers
disagreed. They were unhappy with the new logo, and
wanted the old logo, the blue rectangular box with
GAP written in white in it back. Critics attacked the
re-branding on social networks and online forums.
More than 2,000 comments were posted on the com-
pany‘s Facebook page on the issue, with many de-
manding the return of the traditional logo. Following
the public uproar, GAP decided to do away with the
new logo within days
of its launch. As
quoted by one of the
company officials
―At Gap brand, our
customers have al-
ways come first.
We‘ve been listening
to and watching all of the comments this past week.
We heard them say over and over again they are pas-
sionate about our blue box logo, and they want it
back. So we‘ve made the decision to do just that – we
will bring it back across all channels.‖
JULY 2011 07
(Re)BRANDING GONE WRONG
TROPICANA
For a product like Tropicana,
its carton design is as good as
its logo, as that is what grabs
the customers‘ eyeballs on an
everyday basis. Now, why the
beverage giant decided to do
away with a logo that conveyed
the message of the product
extremely efficiently, we will never know.
The new packaging depicts a glass full of juice
(presumably, orange juice). What does not work in
this packaging is that the juice is not distinctive
from anything else available in the market. How
does a glass full of pale yellow juice tell me that it is
natural? Why would i want to buy it, when there
are several others makng the same offering?
Why would i want to buy it, when
there are several others making
the same offering?
The earlier logo, with the straw
straight out of the orange, con-
veyed just the right kind of mean-
ing the company wanted to con-
vey, that is, it is as good as
―drinking‖ an orange. Tropicana probably forget the
golden rule of marketing, sell benefits-the product
will sell itself. With the new logo, it concentrated
on the product itself, rather than the benefits of
100% Natural Juice.
The result, Tropicana‘s sales took a 20% dive after
the launch of the packaging, forcing the company to
revert back to the old packaging within 2 months of
the launch of the new design
THE MARKSMAN 08
Green brands are those brands which are eco- friendly and cause minimal detrimental impact on the envi-
ronment by the way of design, manufacturing, distribution or promotion so as to satisfy all the stake-
holders and benefit the society.
Green branding is used as a potent tool by organization to develop brand equity. This may be due to vari-
ous advantages of green branding:-
Differentiator
Block competition
Good Will
Satisfy the NGO pressures
Builds customer loyalty
To understand how organizations use this potent tool at their advantage let us have a look at this case.
Earthship Biotecture
A company that uses recycled material like beer cans, tyres etc for building houses caught the atten-
tion of environmentalist and many others after a few years of its inception. The organization is now
building houses that are cheaper than their modern counterparts not only to purchase but also to main-
tain. Some of the features in the Earthship homes are-
1. Generates electricity from sun and wind: Electrical energy is "harvested" from the sun and the
wind. A photovoltaic panel converts the sun‘s energy into DC current
electricity and is stored in "golf-cart" type batteries.
2. Water from rain and snow melt: The roof is insulated to R70 and sloped to harvesting rain water
for the inhabitants for drinking and cooking purposes.
3. Sewage: Treated onsite in botanical planters.
With the re-use systems employed in the earthships, every drop of water is used four times.
Rain water is used for drinking, washing, cooking etc.
Grey water (used once for bathing/cooking) to feed a garden bed in the front greenhouse which
doubles as a grey water cleaning system.
The cleaned grey water is then pumped to the toilets which then become black water.
JULY 2011 09
The Black water is used to feed perennial trees which cleans the water and grows food.
4. Heating and cooling from sun and the earth: Earthships maintain comfortable temperatures in any
climate. The planet Earth is a thermally stabilizing mass that delivers temperature without wires or
pipes. The sun is a nuclear power plant that also delivers without wires or pipes.
5. Food grows inside and outside: Having plants that produce food within this environment makes
sense and takes sustainable and independent living to another level.
Projects: Earthships are now found around the globe as it can be made in any climate in any part of
the world. Some of the locations are Normandy-France; Bonaire-Caribbean; Andaman Islands-India;
Fife-Scotland; Brighton-England; Hilo-Hawaii; L‘Alcudia-Spain.
The company creates Brand awareness about the various initiatives and projects undertaken by them
by various mediums. It has a very exhaustive website (http://earthship.com) with information about
the houses, seminars, intern sessions, books and many other things. They carry out seminars and edu-
cation programs around the world to spread the importance of environment and also provide consul-
tation to build an Earthship. They have an extensive
presence on social networking websites like facebook,
twitter, LinkedIn, Newsvine, MySpace, StumbleUpon,
YouTube etc. YouTube for example has hundred of
videos of Earthship houses and initiatives watched by
millions of people and commented by thousands. There
are written books on green housing that are also avail-
able on the websites. The ultimate eco friendly green
building can also provide with carbon credits and tax
incentives along with a higher resale value.
They communicate various benefits provided by their unique real estate community and bank their
trust on sustainability. They have a product that differentiates itself from the rest, they don‘t charge a
premium for their product, and are doing a great community service by providing eco friendly living
for the society. They have created an emotional connect with every individual having a concern for
the environment and this forms an important source for brand equity. They market functional benefit
of the product, low maintenance cost and its relative importance to Mother Nature.
Green branding, a cause related branding could be a very potent tool for a company to prosper and
make brand loyal customers. If they can develop trust in the minds of their customer and create an
emotional connect to resonate with customers a very strong brand equity would be created.
THE MARKSMAN 10
MOBILE MARKETING-The Game Changer -Akshay Dikshit and Nupur Arora, NITIE- Mum-
With the mobile phone segment seeing an exponential growth, it presents an opportunity for the market-
ers to use this medium to connect with their customers better. Yet less than 1% of marketing budgets are
allocated to leverage this powerful medium. Read on to see how this medium could bring about a para-
digm shift in new age marketing and also how some marketers have successfully leveraged this medium
The incredible reach of mobile marketing cannot be
debated. The power to leverage the mobile device
for marketing purposes is huge. Marketing on a mo-
bile phone has become increasingly popular ever
since the rise of SMS. There has been a steady in-
crease in the use of mobile marketing over the past
year or two.
Scope of Mobile Marketing in India
752 million was the count of mobile subscribers
in India by end of
2010. This mammoth
figure displays the
huge potential of mo-
bile marketing to
reach the audience in
a personalized man-
ner.
Currently mobile marketing is nascent in India with
most marketers allocating less than 1% of budget to
mobile. But in the last one year we have seen the
market grow to more than double. Mobile market-
ing is all set to increase with the arrival of 3G. It
can cover a full spectrum from outbound SMS to
Bluetooth marketing, from in-game to location
based services.
Outbound SMS ads have a high reach in India with
more than 4 billion ads sent to Indian audience in
Q42010 alone. But these kinds of ads are spamming
and they intrude into consumers private space.
Invertising is a new mobile marketing platforms
created to satisfy the needs of both advertisers and
consumers. Eg. The Economist magazine- Even
those people who do not subscribe to the magazine
prefer to receive content from The Economist.
They invite information from The Economist. This
way, the magazine gets to create a direct relation-
ship with its potential subscribers
Interactive Mobile Marketing Campaigns
“Pappu Pass Ho Gaya” by Cadbury
This was an innovative and interactive campaign by
Cadbury which involved a tie-up with Reliance India
Mobile service. It allowed students to check their
exam results using this mobile service. If the stu-
dent passed, he got a sms congratulating him saying
―Pappu pass ho gaya‖ along with the exam result
and hence encouraged him to celebrate the mo-
ment with a Cadbury Dairy Milk. What worked
here? It has to be Creativity, great execution and an
association with key moment in consumers‘ life.
Nike -Nike erected a large, interactive billboard in
Times Square. Passers-by could use their cell
phones to design
a sneaker that will
be displayed for
all the world to
see and then they
could download
the masterpiece
to their mobile
device as wallpa-
per. Individuals
went nuts when
they saw their
own shoes
JULY 2011 11
posted live on the jumbotron in front of them.
Nike gave away 3000 pairs of shoes in this promo-
tion, but users were just as excited by their design
on the billboard as they were by the free foot-
wear
Unilever Turkey and Cornetto ice cream
The campaign was designed to engage young ice-
cream eaters and included interactive SMSmarket-
ing. Using a wall projection system, Cornetto
took over the outside of a building in Taksim, Tur-
key. Anyone with any phone could play a game in
which people texted to move the protagonist of
the game into collecting cornetto cones. Winners
got a free ice cream, redeemable on the spot.
Why are these campaigns worth notice?
They integrated all or most of the key success fac-
tors:
1. Relevant to the consumer
2. Welcome invitation to participate
3. Entertaining
4. Drives a specific action
5. Simplicity
Mobile Marketing using Bluetooth
The rise of Bluetooth
started around 2003 and
companies have started
establishing successful
marketing using this
technology. This tech-
nology has the advan-
tages that it is permis-
sion-based, has higher
transfer speeds and is
also a radio-based tech-
nology and can there-
fore not be billed. But
since people tend to
keep their Bluetooth off due to the fear of trans-
mission of spams and viruses, it can't become a
mass marketing instrument.
Chevy Spark LPG Bluetooth Campaign
The cars were exhibited in the Forum Mall that
were enabled with Bluetooth transmitters Post-
ers, banners
all around
the mall and
stickers on
the car
were used
to educate
consumers
about the
a c t i v i t y .
Customers
who switched on their mobile Bluetooth could
download wallpapers, car details, specifications in
animated format and details about dealers. Also
consumers in other parts of the mall who had
activated the Bluetooth feature on their handset
received a message about the car prompting
them to check it out in the exhibition area.
There were around 10,500 downloads in total.
Also companies like Cafe Coffee Day, Pantaloon,
Levis, Adidas and Pepsi have offered mobile con-
tent free of cost and dis-
counts via Bluetooth in In-
dia. Currently Bluetooth
marketing is used at events,
malls, multiplex and cafes.
Location-based services
LBS are offered by cell
phone networks as a way to
send custom advertising and
other information to cell-
phone subscribers based on
their current location. The
mobile-optimized location based applications like
Foursquare, Gowalla or Brightkite cater to a
THE MARKSMAN 12
larger audience by incorporating location
sharing to customer feeds and test out their
geo-location features. Foursquare is small in
India with about 80,000 users but it is grow-
ing fast. Soon consumers will be able to re-
ceive offers near their resi-
dence or when they are out
shopping in the malls.
With 3G coming in, it is possi-
ble to view videos, photos and
menus of restaurants before
they decide to pull their cou-
pon. People in emerging mar-
kets always take their mobile
phones when going shopping and use it to
make calls to discuss purchases, to compare
prices and to use mobile coupons, thus there
is a huge scope of mobile marketing in this
way.
Conclusion
Mobile marketing features some of the lowest
cost per impression of any marketing medium.
Combine that with the ability of mobile market-
ing messages to be well-branded, a goal for
every mobile marketing initiative
and mobile marketing becomes
an indispensable tool for compa-
nies trying to define or
strengthen their brand. The ma-
jor challenge is to build an eco-
system with constructive part-
nership to communicate with
highly targeted and profiled us-
ers for mobile marketing. Mobile
marketing is, and will remain, a consistent reality
for all businesses.
JULY 2011 13
The crux of subliminal marketing is to place an
idea in your subconscious mind. It makes you
want or think about something without even
you realizing. It plays on your senses. It is about
planting an idea in the customer‘s subconscious
mind and letting it grow till the point of pur-
chase.
The concept of subliminal marketing, if imple-
mented properly will definitely be very profit-
able. For example, a popular grocery chain in
USA used subliminal
marketing very effec-
tively to boost its res-
taurant sales. They fit
a huge electric fan hid-
den inside a billboard
on a highway turn
which wafted the
smell of delicious
steaks towards drivers
which made them
hungry. Just around
the corner was the
grocery store which invited people to enjoy the
most delicious steak ever.
In India, people haven‘t really noticed subliminal
marketing. But it happens. How many times
have we bought popcorn just because it smelt
so good? Consider ‗Gold Flake Honey Dew‘
cigarettes. It‘s not just a random brand name.
When you repeat ‗Honey Dew‘ twice or
thrice continuously, it begins to sound like
―I need you‖, which proves the effectiveness
of the brand in planting its need right in the
customer‘s head!
Forget these established brands. Even our
local ―halwai‖ sends you a subliminal mes-
sage when he fries "samosas‖ and ―kachoris‖
on the roadside. Such kind of marketing
plays on your urges.
However, it works
only if the subliminal
message is goal rele-
vant. Thus, it more
effective in making the
customer choose a
particular brand over
the other, rather than
in creating a real need.
The Darker Side
It is all about manipu-
lating the customer‘s
mind. Advertising
should only invite and not impose you to
buy. The very idea of making someone do
something without them realizing it sounds
wrong. The use of subliminal marketing is
controversial, because it is thought control-
ling in nature. There has been a lot of criti-
cism on the use of this kind of a marketing
gimmick to earn money.
When you buy a magazine with a pretty airbrushed woman
on the cover, that's subliminal marketing.
THE MARKSMAN 14
SUBLIMINAL MARKETING
- Neeti Bedekar, SIMSR, Mumbai
What is the objective of marketing? The most common answers are – advertising, selling, cus-
tomer satisfaction etc. A very important aspect of marketing is creating the need itself. And that
is what subliminal marketing is all about..
With media habits changing, the impact of ‗new
media‘ is challenging the traditional sources of me-
dia and advertising. The ‗web-lifestyle‘ that Micro-
soft chairman, Bill Gates talked about in his book
‗Business @ The Speed of Thought‘ in 1999 is no
more a prognostication but a reality for many.
People are accessing internet from home, spend-
ing more time on the online medium compared to
television. With the home user base already
touching 18 million odd, internet has already be-
come a mass medium.
The success of Blogger.com, YouTube, Wikipedia,
MySpace and Orkut is hardly news. In the new
‗virtual play grounds‘ that brands like these have
helped to create ‗Consumers‘ seems a redundant
term as they perform roles of active producers of
media content. In fact even the traditional media is
facing new challenges. TV has become an infotain-
ment medium beyond just entertainment. The re-
lationship of audiences with TV has undergone a
sea-change. They love the plethora of choices they
get when it comes to TV channels, but their atten-
tion spans have dipped when it comes to commer-
cial messages. They no more just ‗watch‘ TV, they
dream with TV- lest they become the nation‘s
next sensation, they express their rage by SMSing
their favorite TV channel- The marketers respond
by creating engaging ways to get ‗eyeballs‘- Crea-
tive programming content is developed around
specific brands. Bollywood and Cricket have
forged an interesting triad with TV where we wit-
ness product placements, launches and promo-
tions revolving around the new nexus.
With the entry of private players and a revised
license regime in 1999, even Radio- the Cinderella
of the communications story- experienced resur-
gence in the 2000s. With rapid advancements in
technology and growth of a ‗seamless world‘-
convergence is deemed to play a very crucial role
in the development of the entertainment and me-
dia industry where consumers will increasingly be
calling the shots in a converged media world.
Opportunities for consumers to access and ma-
nipulate content and services will not only be
abundant, but overflowing. However, consumer
time and attention will be limited. Thus, estab-
lished approaches of pushing exclusive content
through non-linear-channels or networks to mass
or segmented audiences will no longer guarantee
competitive advantage.
Implications for Marketers
“The future is already here. It is just unevenly distrib-
uted”
-William Gibson, Science fiction novelist
A changing media landscape and rapid changes in
consumer lifestyles necessitates the marketer to
take different approaches to managing brands.
Furthermore, marketers are Increasingly being
distanced from the physical marketplace In the
transition of the global economy from an era of
competitive advantage based on information to
one based on knowledge creation, more and
more corporations invest in gathering consumer
insights.
Savvy marketers recognize that their customers
spend significant time and energy in virtual play-
grounds like social networking websites. Astute
marketers go one step beyond and realize that
these are also important virtual battlegrounds for
their brand. Ace marketers are actively tuning in
NEW VIRTUAL MARKETING BATTLEFIELDS Yavnika Khanna ,Alumnus SIMSR (PGDM 09-11)
JULY 2011 15
to their consumers‘ conversations, capturing their
attention to direct it at both self and environment
at the same time, aiding consumers to acquire
skills, gain recognition among peers with the over-
all objective to create a loyal consumer base and a
positive brand image for their brand. Firstly, Mar-
keters need to find such ways to redirect atten-
tion of consumers away from the clutter to their
brand. Secondly, we observe a shift from ‗Volume-
based‘ marketing into ‗value-based‘ marketing and
marketers increasingly scout for opportunities for
higher value extraction from customers willing to
pay more for higher order features and benefits.
Astute marketers realize the need to segment
markets and go for targeted communication strat-
egy. In view of these decisions, they invest re-
sources to figure out:
What is the right amount to spend?
What is the right balance between positively
impacting vs. turning off consumers?
How to handle the question of invasion of pri-
vacy?
How to measure effectiveness?
Marketers must seamlessly integrate multiple
channels of communication- which implies
creatively managing above-the-line communi-
cation, On-line and Mobile marketing, reach-
ing out at the point of purchase and even en-
tering consumers‘ lives in ways currently un-
known!
With compounding environmental changes,
organizations need to be outward looking.
Peter Drucker has both argued and shown,
that in general understanding the present en-
ables you to dispense with futurology. A deep
understanding of future trends most likely to
be resonant with the relevant set consumers
is required to optimize future resource alloca-
tion and identify opportunities for innovation.
As we sit in 2011 and try to look ahead, we
can only imagine the possibilities and pitfalls
that next few years will have in store for us.
Almost one thing is certain- we need to wake
up to a new world with a new set of rules be-
THE MARKSMAN 16
Quote UnquoteQuote Unquote
"What really decides consumers to buy or not to buy is the content of your advertising, not its
form." David Ogilvy
"Every advertisement should be thought of as a contribution to the complex symbol which is the
brand image." David Ogilvy
"The sole purpose of marketing is to sell more to more people, more often and at higher prices.
There is no other reason to do it." Sergio Zyman
"The best way to predict the future is to create it." Peter Drucker
No Money Marketing by Jessie Paul
No Money Marketing is the acclaimed book by Jessie Paul which tells
about new marketing techniques and how new firms can benefit
from the phenomena of globalization to build their brands and
compete in the market place in a cost-effective way.
What will make you buy?
Three things make this book a worthwhile investment
Written in a conversational style, and with many personal
anecdotes, the author makes the brand building journey
come alive
As traditional marketing tools are losing their advantage to
new techniques like social networking, individual targeting
and ecosystem marketing No Money Marketing shows how
an emerging brand can spot and tap into its marketing eco-
system of all stakeholders, and compete successfully with
the best
Studies global branding successes of Indian brands abroad
and international brands in India across diverse sectors like
IT, automobiles and banking.
Why wouldn’t you want to buy?
While sharing snippets from insightful interviews with
thought leaders like Narayan Murthy and Nandan Nilekani,
she has also included Vijay Mallya- there‘s no doubting his
marketing prowess, but his means are far from frugal. This
is perhaps a rare lapse on the author‘s part.
Examples delve into unimportant details which bore the
reader.
About the author:
Jessie Paul has worked as Chief
Marketing Officer of Wipro’s IT
business and as Global Brand
Manager at Infosys. She has been
recognized for her contribution
towards putting the Indian IT in-
dustry on the global map. She has
used innovations such as award
programs with academic institu-
tions, mindsports, and non-
traditional media to reposition and
communicate brand values in a
frugal, yet effective manner.
Know more about the book
at:
http://nomoneymarketing.org
The book is also available at the
college library
OUR RATING
JULY 2011 17
BOOKWORM
MARKETING TOOLS YOU SHOULD KNOW
Pareto Analysis for Problem Solving
The main objective of this approach to problem solving is to identify the chief causes and respond to
them immediately, so as to improve the overall output of a project. Although Pareto charts can be easily
created in several different project management applications, not everyone has access to software of this
type. Fortunately, Pareto charts can also be created in Microsoft Excel.
Problem that requires investigation like- ―Determining the causes for delay in the
project.‖
Identify all the possible causes, for e.g. ―shortage of resources‖, ―technical failures‖,
―environmental factors‖, ―inefficiency or shortage of workforce‖ or ―government approvals‖.
Assign a frequency of occurrence to each cause based on historical data.
Make a list of all the probable causes in one column and in the adjacent column fill in the fre-
quency of occurrence, in percentage form, for each of the causes. Reorganize the frequencies in
descending order.
Make a bar graph using the data, plotting the frequency along the y-axis and the causes along the x
-axis. The cumulative frequency can be represented as a line. The resulting bar chart will make
it clear what are the key causes resulting in 80% of the problem related to the project. This is a
graphical Pareto chart.
1
2
3
4
5
Pareto analysis can be effec-
tively used to solve problems
of any type and has thus
gained immense acceptance
in the field of project manage-
ment. DECEMBER 2010 THE MARKSMAN 18
JULY 2011 19
A RECAP OF INTERFACE EVENTS
THE MARKSMAN 20
A RECAP OF INTERFACE EVENTS
JULY 2011 21
DraftFCB+Ulka COMSTRAT offers a platform for
marketing students from all over the country to show-
case their abilities and hone their skills on live case
studies. This year it was conducted for the 16th time
on 11th December 2010. After two grueling elimina-
tion rounds, six teams entered the finals this year. The
finalists included teams from eminent B-schools like
NMIMS, MICA, SCMHRD, Wel-ingkar, N.L. Dalmia and
SIMSR. The teams, especially the home team, brought
forward a number of interesting insights not only about
Nokia C3, but the en-tire mobile handset market in
India that is currently being dominated by Nokia. The
home team SIMSR was the unanimous choice of the
panel for the 1st place after delivering the most com-
prehensive and in-depth analysis of the case coupled
with an aesthetically appealing presentation.
A RECAP OF INTERFACE EVENTS
01
OTC Market visOTC Market vis--aa--vis FMCGvis FMCG
Dabangg‘s Munni catapulted Emami‘s Zandu balm to instant fame. The sting of los-
ing the acquisition of Paras Pharmaceuticals to Reckitt Benckiser was somewhat
placated. But there is something more in it.
OTC (over-the-counter) products have always been a market for FMCG
and pharmaceutical companies. While FMCG companies find that growth in the
conventional markets is slowing down, traditional pharma companies are looking at new ways of growing.
For instance, FMCG companies such as HUL, Reckitt and Himalaya seized upon the opportunity that the
advent of H1N1 presented in India by launching hand sanitizers. On the other side, emergency contracep-
tive pills like i-Pill and Unwanted-72 went on air talking about the safe option. The OTC market in India is
highly under-penetrated & growing consciousness towards health & wellness products presents a unique
opportunity in front of both FMCG & pharmaceutical companies. The next few years shall witness the
foray into the OTC market by FMCG & the pharma companies. This is just the beginning...
Ambush Marketing Is Ambushed!!!Ambush Marketing Is Ambushed!!!
Burger King, Barclaycard, Unilever and many other global brands will find their
marketing activity facing unprecedented levels of scrutiny around the London
2012 Olympic Games, as the organizers seek to stamp out ambush marketing. The
International Olympic Committee‘s (IOC) ‗Brand Protection‘ guidelines were
made public last month; the 136-page document sets out a strict set of measures
to combat non-sponsors capitalizing on the Games through ambush marketing
tactics. This is a significant step from ambush marketer point of view. The consequences can be seen only
in the coming days. But one thing is clear that Ambush Marketing may not always be a good idea.
Lesson on Brand Building from PerfettiLesson on Brand Building from Perfetti
A Nielsen survey pegs the per capita consumption of sugar confectionery for every
Indian at close to 200 grams per year, translating to about 50 pieces of candies and
gums per Indian, per year. A country of a billion consuming 50 pieces of confection-
aries like candies and gums may be small, but it presents both opportunities as well
as challenges.
Recently Perfetti India (PVMI) has touched an Rs 1,200 crore turnover, not an insig-
nificant achievement given the segment. PVMI according to market estimates commands over 25% with
the rest divided between ITC, Parle, Wrigley and Cadbury among others. Superior brand building initia-
tives taken by PVMI have made this feat possible. As management students the lessons are:
Perfetti‘s marketing and advertising comprises of edgy communication not only on television but also
virals like ‗Daddu ki amanaat‘ for Perfetti Protex
To create a seamless bridge between in-house marketing team and external partners, PVMI has re-
cently created a media manager role within the company
The company is renowned for extending creative freedom to its partners. The company shows tre-
mendous respect towards the inputs from the partner media agencies & often acts upon their sugges-
tions
THE MARKSMAN 22
Starbucks logo change: Another GAP fiasco? Starbucks logo change: Another GAP fiasco?
For the third time the brand has changed its logo since its launch in 1971 in Seattle. Schultz, the Star-
bucks chairman, president and chief executive gave indications of Starbucks getting involved in products
remotely related to coffee. Clothing chain GAP launched a new
logo last year and returned to the original one after widespread
criticism. Keeping this in mind Starbucks tested the new logo with
loyal customers and thus is confident about the success.
KOTA: A Successful BrandKOTA: A Successful Brand
Out of the total number of students who made it to the IITs last year, nearly
2,500 of the selected ones were coached in Kota, which makes the success rate
of Kota a double-digit 10% as against the national success rate of just about 3%.
In the late 80s a major employment provider in Kota announced a lock-
out of its factory. It brought the township to a grinding halt, with no other em-
ployment alternatives as Kota in Rajasthan was neither a manufacturing hub, nor a
tourist destination. Necessity, as they say is the mother of invention and some
enterprising locals decided that teaching, specifically coaching for competitive exams like IIT could be a good
source of earning a living. Thus, Bansal Classes was formally born in 1991, a pioneer brand that has made Kota
what it is today — the highest producer of IIT successes from a single city. Bansal's success spawned a slew of
other coaching classes, Career Point , Resonance, Allen's, Vibrant to name a few.
The coaching classes deploy print, outdoors and are also trying to create online buzz through search en-
gine optimization and social media. They also do below-the-line in a large way through school seminars, events and
ground events. Some of the coaching classes are looking for IPO as well. For example, Resonance recently re-
ceived a PE infusion through Milestone-Religare and is looking at an IPO in the near future.
Today, nearly 80,000 students at Kota have created an eco-system that supports an entire city. It's not
only the coaching classes, but ancillaries like accommodation, canteens, cybercafés, stationery shops etc., that earn
revenues from students. Wal-Mart has opened its fourth best-price brand outlet in Kota, the first outlet outside of
Punjab, where it has three outlets. Thus, Kota proves to be a best example of destination branding for its core
competency in education business.
JULY 2011 23
Across:
2. Identify the makers of original Swiss Knives.
5.‖Every man has a darker side‖. Identify the beer
brand.
8. Identify the Business Management Guru.
9. Link the personalities to arrive at the company.
Down:
1. ―The magic is in the mix‖. Identify the bever-
age brand.
3. ―Because stains love your clothes‖. Identify
the brand
4. Identify the lemon drink.
6. He is known as the father of Advertising.
7. Name the chocolate bar made by Mars.
Map the crossword with the visual and textual clues.
THE MARKSMAN 24
The marksman is the newsletter of INTERFACE , the Marketing
Club at K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Research, Mumbai.
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THE A-TEAM
COVER STORY Rishi M
SECONDARY STORIES Shelani A
ALL ABOUT BRANDS Bhavesh P(Alumnus)
Rishi M
BOOKWORM Namita S
NUKED Divya S
REWIND Rajat P
TWEETS Rik C
BUZZ Martin A
Rajat P
DESIGN Namita S Rajat P Shelani S