Sit Down, says Cafe Coffee Day

Cafe Coffee Day (CCD) has made its first TV Commercial, in its 16 years of being the most popular brand since its inception in India.

                              


Research suggests that 50 per cent of our target consumers in the top six metros - in the 17 to 35-year age group - haven't been to a cafe. This initiation of doing a TV advertisement, has come as the next step to its campaign in print medium in selected top nine cities across India.

The brand which initiated the cafe culture, is now foraying in to newer and unconventional markets and aims to get in to new segments through its TV Commercial.

Recently the coffee shop brand partnered with the movie Neethane En Ponvasantham (also in Telugu as Yeto Vellipoyindi Manasu) as one of its official partner and the coffee shop’s brand name is already visible in many of the film’s promotions.

This new TV campaign has represented the youth who come to their shop to have a conversation over a cup of coffee with their friends, colleagues, lovers, business partners, etc.

The TV ad has also added its humour quotient, by giving a new solution to many problems – by sitting down! The TV Commercial has come up with the new Anthem – Sit Down Anthem! This 2 minute and 20 seconds ad also uses this generation's biggest tool - Social Media Platform such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter as they share & spread this new Anthem of Sit Down! Cafe Coffee Day has around 1400 outlets across the country now and this was a good time to introduce this idea to consumers. The best part is the way the tv advertisement builds a platform for brand activity on social media - is #sitdown a trend already or will it be in a few days to come?

K Ramakrishnan, President marketing Cafe Coffee Day, says, “The TV Commercial reflects the way of life of the millions of youth following the brand. At a time when ‘standing up’ for issues seem to be the order of the day, the ad reminds you of the positive results of sitting down and discussing various subjects over your favorite brew.”

Samsung- The Gigantic Leap in 2012

There is no doubt in saying that Samsung has leap-frogged in terms of sales of mobile & tablet handsets in the year 2012. So what has been the backbone behind this surge?

The above graph shows the answer- Marketing.
Samsung spent a ridiculous amount on marketing this year, but you can’t deny that they’ve gotten some truly high-quality ads in return. Not to mention the buzz and viral videos and the print ads that mocked Apple's iPhone.
Case in point: The Korean manufacturer has come up with a way to make near field communication (NFC) a major differentiator between its phones and Apple’s iPhone. I admit that I was skeptic of Samsung’s ability to pull off such a fete but that’s mostly because no one had really come up with a smart way to market NFC until Samsung. Typically, NFC has been billed as a technology that will let you replace your credit card with your smartphone through the use of mobile payment platforms.
Samsung did something completely different with NFC by showing off the technology’s potential as a social tool. So for instance, instead of demonstrating how your phone can help you buy a candy bar (who cares?), Samsung has shown people how their phone can help them quickly zap pictures, playlists and videos over to their friends simply by tapping their two phones together. In other words, the smartphone isn’t something designed to help you perform solitary activities, but something to help you better enjoy your time spent with others.

The manufacturer has rolled out an ad with a bit of a suggestive theme. This time, it's Mrs. Claus getting herself on naughty list.

                                    

Samsung understands that individuals in the urban market are amongst the first adopters to use smart phones and gadgets. Apple for quite some time has had a choke hold on this demograph due to their popularity amongst creatives and pop culture mass appeal.  In an attempt to debase Apple, Samsung has tried to make strides with their ads featuring LeBron James, The Apple Waiting Line Parody and now in their latest Best Face Family Photo commercial.
The “Best Face Family Photo”commercial features the Samsung Galaxy Note II and shows a black family using the device to take a typical family portrait.  However, the ad gives perspective on how to use their latest Galaxy “Best Shot” feature to capture the candid family moment.However, the print and outdoor ads of Samsung created quite a stir, and here are some for your viewing.

There was simply no way that Samsung could resist pouncing on Apple’s latest Maps disaster that left several Australians stranded in the middle of a national park with no access to food or water.

Do these ads have helped Samsung gain in sales? A BIG yes.
In just 37 days of launch Samsung Galaxy Note II topped 3 million units in sales. Also, the Apple Parody Ad(Click here- LINK ) has topped the Most Viral Tech Ads of 2012 List(See this link.) The best thing is, the purchasing intention has grown over 11%, which is far ahead than Apple(See graph below.)

                

Thus, Samsung's fast-mover efforts aided by huge funding in Marketing departments have made sure that the year 2012 was quite special for Samsung. More to watch out, during 2013.

Don't "Like" Me No More!

It's official now. No more vouching for Facebook 'Likes'. These 'Fans' mostly don't convert to real customers at all. In an era when every company is busy in marketing itself in social media, here comes a big block- "Likes" doesn't give that same amount in sales. So what does?

So lets get back to old school now. It's the Reach factor that contributes to a company. A study by PageLever shows that only 6 % Reach is accomplished by brands who have more than a million fans. So why this odd factor? Many respondents say that the fan-base mainly leap-frogged because one fan told his friend to become a fan and this system went nuclear. Let me put of the chart from Mashable.

                    

After this intriguing data, what should one company do so that the Reach increases? But before it, let me tell you who the flag-bearers, or brands that have managed to attain top-notch Reach.Total brand Likes are shown at the top of the image, new Likes for the specific posts are at the bottom of the image.

So after seeing these iconic brands and their posts, did you mark something? Sometimes, the tried, trusted and familiar can sometimes work well on Facebook. Well, lets see 5 ways in which one can increase the Facebook Reach.

First, let’s review the EdgeRank trifecta. EdgeRank is the algorithm used by Facebook to determine the most screen-worthy content. Three factors, multiplied together, determine your content’s value: affinity, weight and time. The affinity score is based on how often a fan has engaged with your brand content in the past, including page visits. Weight, or popularity, is determined by the type and quantity of engagement your post receives (e.g. Likes, comments). Lastly, time and the decay of your post matters; as your content ages and engagement wanes, it becomes less relevant and therefore less likely to appear in a user’s news feed.

Studies show that lengthy Facebook content goes unread and discourages action on the part of the user. Brief, easily digestible posts make it easier for users to consume and interact.

Timely posts increase fan excitement, generate spikes in engagement and allow for further reach. Keep an eye out for relevant current events and don’t forget to post about holidays if they’re consistent with your brand voice. Fans want to engage — sometimes they just need an invitation.

It’s still true that no matter what you try, quality content is the most important factor to expand Facebook reach. Provide your fans with valuable content to properly enable your posts to go further. When it comes to format, photos are the most engaging form of content that brands can post. Eye-catching and easy-to-consume photos are also weighed more heavily by Facebook when determining EdgeRank.

Asking questions of your fans is a great way to encourage comments and keep your post visible. Research by Buddy Media shows that employing the words “where,” “when,” “would” and “should” increases engagement. Posts that include “would” consistently yield the greatest interaction because they allow fans to agree through a simple “like” rather than writing a comment.

Fans love to know their favorite brands are listening, and many social media managers often overlook this. Answer questions asked in the comments section or simply say, “Thanks!” Be sure to tag the fan in your response so he’s notified of the special attention.

Facebook Insights provides administrators with the “Friends of Fans” metric, telling admins just how many people they can potentially reach organically. Friends of fans are extremely important — they are more likely to visit a brand’s Facebook Page or website, purchase a brand’s products and become fans themselves. Organically, these Facebook fans can easily be reached through the Facebook Ticker, which tracks all user activity. Keep your fans interacting with your brand, and their friends will see all “liking” activity, comments and posts in the top right of their news feed.

Now, for a not-so-organic tactic: Facebook Ads. With Facebook Ads, you can specifically target just your fans’ friends and leverage their relationship. Facebook Ads are not just a way to reach your fans’ friends, but also your competitor’s fans and your own fans.

More: BI Brand Posts 2012

Nike: Parallel Journeys

I don’t know whether any of you have seen Nike’s Parallel Journeys campaign? It’s probably one of the best campaigns I’ve seen from Nike. Ok, so I may be slightly biased and may have a bit of a soft spot for cricket and India.

The campaign captures young cricket athletes relentless quest for perfection, it doesn’t matter where they are, what they play, whether pro or amateur, you are given an insight into their journey, their training, hard work, dedication and desire to achieve success in the sport. The film’s culminates perfectly with Nike’s “Just do it” slogan.

The ad has been beautifully shot in various locations around India; Delhi, Ladakh, Pondicherry, Indore, Jodhpur, Varanasi, Mumbai to name a few places. I feel as though it truly captures the essence of India, the diversity of the cultural different parts of India, the varying age groups, religions, the variation in players economic backgrounds, however everyone is bought together by the sport.

All of this of course doesn't come cheap and the commercial is rumoured to be one of the most expensive made in India. While none of those associated with it are willing to comment, ad business moles suggest a price tag of Rs 4 crore. It appears to be money well spent going by the feedback at least within the industry.

There are no actors in the film, - just authentic players of the game from various corners of the country. To capture them, the crew travelled to homes, buses, trains, boats, gyms, chawls, gullies, colonies, schools, clubs and playgrounds that are the grooming grounds for cricket crazy Indian youth, across geographies.

So, after all the hype and discussion, did the ad work? I think, yes. It makes people go emotional for cricket again. It also sends the message clearly that one should follow his/her passion no matter what the hurdles be. This ad is a hit as far as I am concerned.

Coke and Meals!

"The family that eats together stays together."

Continuing on from the wonderful family-bonding-over-meal-TVC called "Saath khao, khushiyaan badhao" Coca-Cola has started various campaigns to position itself as a drink with meal, such as roping in master chef Sanjeev Kapoor and doing a cooking program in three undisclosed cities in India. A website is being spread over social-networking sites which asks people to send any special recipe of their own. The lucky winner would be seen with Sanjeev Kapoor. It also plans to bring some Mothers to college campuses and have them cook for the students there, as part of the campaign.

                  

                  

The campaign:-
TVC Link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XP6sPhwmDag
Website Link- Coke and Meals

The preceding post:- Coca Cola's New Commercial - Oct '12

Coca Cola's New Commercial - Oct '12

Going with the "Open Happiness" tag-line, Coca Cola is all set to be a trend setter again with this new commercial.

TVC Link - "Saath khao, khushiyaan badhao"

The campaign builds on the “celebrating happiness” plank of the brand. The family that eats together stays together. This ancient proverb is depicted well in this commercial, done with an eye on increasing the per capita consumption of cola.

The TVC features a large family at the dining table. As they bond over food and Coke. It’s a very simple treatment, there are no dialogues, and typical family interactions are captured through expressions. A strict dad who won’t relent to his son’s demands. A granny with an emotional tale to tell. A disinterested kid who later begins to enjoy the family time. And so on. All the things that usually happen at a family table.

Actually the consumer research behind it is the key. Trends show that youths are returning to spending more times with their family. So what time is better than this festive season to start such an endearing commercial!

There are no celebrities in the ad, only regular people. The music track is very cool, it adds to the liveliness of a happy family gathering. And in spite of no storyline, the TVC entertains. Particularly the last touch is good, where a smartphone buzzes away in a corner and no one bothers to answer it.

Top Print Ads - 3

And I bring to you fresh beautiful and among the best print ads I have come across.

 

Volkswagen is up with intelligent print ads of the Touareg showing the feature of cornering lights.

 

Ford shows that you can do anything with your Transit with this beautiful print.

One of my favorites, this cramped up car flier was given to the drivers by Detran. Reckless driving kills, fellas!

 

Renault has been up with a couple of prints featuring the long mileage of Megane.

 

Another beautiful print ad, communicating a good message.

 

Huggies has been in recent talks because of this ad but for getting attention this is an intelligent print ad. Kudos, Huggies.

CenturyPly and a Gorilla

CENTURYPLY is undoubtedly one of the major furniture brands in India. Century Plyboard stayed away from TV advertising from the last four years, before it came back on TV with its new TVC on the World Anger Day – 28th Aug, 2012.

Why did suddenly CneturyPly thought of attacking the end consumer? The company had sanctioned a survey two years ago to re-discover its consumers as it prepared to take on a crowded and cut price market.This survey identified a large group of consumers called atmosphere creators — 25-45 year olds looking to build a welcoming pad to chill out with friends and family — which CenturyPly decided to target.

For CenturyPly, getting noticed in the humdrum world of plywood and laminates required it to do something out of the ordinary. Its buyers were typically tradesmen like contractors and carpenters fixated on water and pest resistance. The solution was to swivel away from its typical intermediary focus to target the end consumer, attempting to build an emotional, rather than technical connect.

No doubt that the thrown car and the angry gorilla at the beginning of TVC attracts your attention, and is clutter-breaking among any group of advertisements. 100 out of 100 for the Bates team for such a clearly clutter-breaking start for the TVC.

As the consumer watches attentively, the next scene that attracts attention is that the gorilla is not able to break the door and it enters the house breaking through the roof. As the gorilla lands on a dining-table, the dining table doesn’t break and the gorilla chases the person in the scene to the cupboard. Until this point, the consumer is still attentively wondering “what is the gorilla upto?”.

Now, as it turns out that the gorilla is the husband’s imagination of his wife’s anger, it brings out an element of empathy and fun making the whole commercial very enjoyable. The message in the background also re-emphasizes on the visual communication.

It is a great story with an element of suspense, and clearly communicating the durability of the furniture. 100/100 in the communication of the functional aspect “durability”.

Thus, forgetting your wedding anniversary is never a good thing and for you men out there!

Why Story-telling is not only for kids anymore.

Remember those childhood days when your teacher or your grammy used to tell you a lot of stories? How we wish those golden days never ended! Who's gonna tell us stories now?

But hey! don't forget that the stories never ended actually! Surprised? When you see a lady clad in white saaree say that X detergent helped remove the stains and make this dress glittering white, isn't that a story you are listening to? But yeah, you are pissed off at the content. While other stories tend to indulge your vivid imaginations.

Take the example of Tata Docomo's "Hate Incomplete Stories?" campaign. Isn't it innovative? Or the Volkswagen's Silent Ad. There are many good stories out there.
So why has story telling become so important for businesses after all? What is the meaning of a 'good story' then?

In my view, a good story has the following foundations :-
1. Its Authentic.
2. Its Creative.
3. It makes an Emotional & Personal connection with the target audience.
4. It inspires action/generates a lot of positive word-of-mouth communication.
5. It possibly Engages the audience in a journey with the brand.

Meanwhile lets put up another example to interest you. Remember the "Jaago Re" campaign by Tata Tea?
So why is telling good stories so important after all?

Because, Good Stories COMPEL people to CHANGE, change the Way thet FEEL, change the Way they THINK, change the Way they ACT, and change the Way they BEHAVE. Good stories put their audience at ease and engage them with the "Human Side" of the brand.

So for those who still think that direct ads and/or discounts only can bring in profits for your company, please stop clinging to cliches and start making up a story around your product/brand that's indulging enough.
- Clarify your message.
- Let the audience know the need of change.
- Let them know how and when there could be change.
- Confirm why their action is important.
- Explain how you want your audience to take action.

And, remember an important thing- "Anything that's copied and NOT FOUND is NOT a THEFT!"

So find your inner storyteller. No matter what the industry, product or service; there are stories in every company to help get the message out and acted upon any simple and cost-effective way.

Top Print Ads - 3

Hi there. A small gap and another colorful post. Of print ads. I tell you these days the Indians are matching toe to toe with other leaders in this category. These consist of some beautiful print ads from all over the world including India. Have a look.

Weird is the new COOL!

To promote the new “weird is cool” attitude proffered by the ParaNorman film (a tale of a young boy who can see ghosts and is shunned by his friends and classmates), Nike has released a special edition of film-inspired Nike Air Foamposite One sneakers.

The Foamposite One shoes, released in a small batch of 800, were up for grabs via a Twitter campaign challenging fans to tweet the @ParaNorman account with pictures of themselves being weird as a kid with the hashtag #weirdwins. Fans who tweeted the weirdest photos won a pair of the limited edition sneaks. The Nike ParaNorman campaign not only represents a great cross-brand promotional strategy (for the film, the shows, and their master companies) but also plays into a bigger cultural movement toward embracing oddities. It’s also important to note the irony of the campaign: a coveted symbol of hyped fashion trends (Nike shoes) are a reward for celebrating those very uncool, awkward, and socially embarrassing moments of childhood.

Take a look at some photos of the campaign.

                    

What do you think of Nike’s spin on weird as the new cool?

Top Print Ads- India '12- 2

Here are some of the print ads in India in this year.

Top Print Ads - 1

These are some latest print ads(September 2012) I found while browsing and every now and then I would bring to your notice such interesting ads.

Be on the lookout for the newest and lovable ads from all over the world. Do share if you get hold of something interesting. :)

"Khali pet se pareshaan?" Parle 20-20.

Parle Products has brought out a new campaign to position Parle 20-20 cookies as a quick time snack. The campaign titled, 'empty stomach' aims at targeting teenagers and young adults. The objective of this ad was to build strong consumer brand franchise for the brand amongst the target group by positioning 20-20 cookies as an ideal quick snack for today’s generation through effective advertising.

The first ad shows a couple sharing heart-shaped offering through the hole in a boy's stomach. Then just as he gobbles up a biscuit, the hole fills up in no time! The second ad, shot in an office, shows colleagues throwing curled up paper in a bin, through a colleague's empty stomach. Their fun ends when the pale-looking man gobbles a Parle 20-20 cookie to fill his empty stomach. I liked the second one more.

20-20 cricket is suggestive of a quick game. Similarly they wanted to communicate that Parle 20-20 is a quick-time snack that fixes hunger in no time. Although the concept of depicting the empty stomach like a hole is good, I feel the execution fell sort of expectations. The ad will be aired for three months, however, I guess the ad will have a lesser recall value.

History of Advertising vs History of Marketing

The world of today has seen more than a trillion ads probably. The clutter has become so much that it is becoming difficult for organizations to take up the challenge in this mess. But think of the days when there were pretty rare ads. Most of the people would answer the "Jalebi" ad of Dhara if we ask you about the first ad that you heard of. But in 1939, Lever’s advertising department launched Dalda – the first major example of a brand and a marketing campaign specifically developed for India.

Did you know that the Egyptians were arguably the first to invent the form of Advertising? Do you know how did they do it? Lets have a look at the Illustrated History of Advertising in this world. Compare the timelines to the History of Marketing side by side. Click on the respective images to view the infographic. (A note of thanks to guys who made these. I got them by browsing.)

                                      

The Age of Customer Engagement is Now!

Before I start off, I want to know how many people still believe that we are in the Information Age, business-wise? I believe that the Information Age has just been overshadowed by the Age of Customer Engagement, more strongly in the Indian market.

Customer engagement in India is fundamentally different from customer engagement in mature markets. Unlike the mature markets that are plagued with stagnant growth rates and a saturated pool of customers, the Indian economy has had healthy growth and a seemingly endless supply of new customers. The expanding middle class and the emerging affluent with higher levels of disposable income have fueled an unprecedented growth curve for Indian businesses.

Yet in our experience, that’s not enough. To truly engage customers for whom push marketing is becoming irrelevant, companies must do more outside the confines of traditional marketing. At the end of the day, customers no longer separate marketing from the product—it is the product. In the era of engagement, marketing is the brand. Digital media was there in the fringes, but the infusion of social media has changed the face of marketing. Every day the cutting edge of marketing is being redefined.

But the question remains the same- What can we do differently to maintain our revenue streams and profit margins in the soon-to-be-new normal?

The answer is not quite simple. The typical Indian consumer is a discount shopper. Bargain hunting is a favorite national sport, second perhaps only to cricket. So it is not surprising that the predominant strategy of customer acquisition and retention has been based on pricing. In mature markets, differentiation based on pricing and product alone is no longer a sustainable strategy. What is to be done then? Well, as much as you would yell at me, it's always going back to basics that helps. Just mold it according to the present, that's all. So here's the CusEngagement theory:-
1. Don't strive to only satisfy your customers. Provide an WOW! experience.
2. Entice customers to stay in touch.
3. Give more responsibilities to the customers whenever possible.
4. Try to generate rich customer insights and use the data as best as possible.
5. Use such content that inspires activity like commenting, or better, sharing.
                   
 One Indian company that has demonstrated that the Indian buyer is willing to pay more for customer experience is Tanishq. Established in 1995 as a high-end branded jewellery retailer, Tanishq has become the most valued jewellery brand in India. Through a differentiated customer experience – well designed exclusive retail showrooms, complementary nation-wide service, and a generous loyalty program – Tanishq has persuaded a lot of Indians to leave their traditional jewellers and go with Tanishq despite higher prices.

Especially in social media, marketers are turning a leaf or two with innovative campaigns. Every medium has its advantages for marketers, but social media has the power to transform a campaign into a religion. Mint reports that social media is being used not just for plain one way advertising but also for customer engagement, marketing events, generating sales, launching product buzz, introducing innovative concepts and even creating new markets for their existing brands.

                     
Hippo, a unique baked wheat snack food brand launched in the Indian snack market in 2010 and successfully deployed an innovative social media brand awareness-cum-customer engagement-cum-advertising campaign with shot many birds with one stone. HT reported that in February 2010, Hippo launched a Twitter campaign asking consumers and retailers to tweet Hippo’s availability on retail shelves on Hippo’s Twitter page, because they were facing difficulties in tracking distribution across India. The company promised to take action on the tweets which stated unavailability in specific stores. Parle Agro claimed that they received such stock related tweets from 25 cities and that the number of people tracking Hippo stocks on Twitter equaled 45 per cent of Parle Agro’s foods sales team. Their sales had jumped by 76 percent after this campaign, reported HT.
 
                 
In 2012, ITC’s leading personal care brand, Fiama Di Wills launched Fiama Di Wills Men – Aqua Pulse range of shower gel and bathing bar. They envisaged their innovative social media advertising campaign to target urban Indian males with active lifestyles, reported TOI. The campaign was called the ‘Mega Aqua Pulse Australian Adventure’. It was essentially a contest to give Indian water sports enthusiasts an opportunity to win a free trip to Australia. The contest received more than 4000 entries and approximately 40,000 friends were invited to participate. The brand made sure that there was continuous customer engagement by offering tools such as Wall Posts, Reviews, Mentions, Discussion Posts, Videos and much more on their Facebook page. According to TOI, The Fiama Di Wills Men community on Facebook registered 1.7 lakh fans, with 3.7 million post views and over 19,000 feedback posts, all within just 30 days of its launch.

Much like their global counterparts, the Indian middle class is well informed, social, and influential. However, traditionally, the Indian customer has been conditioned to be less demanding of the experience delivered. Therein lies the opportunity to surprise and delight prospects and customers.

Offering differentiation through experience will have greater impact on Indian customers compared to their western counterparts, who are accustomed to high levels of service delivery. Certain segments of the customer base might even be willing to pay more for a specialist treatment. The key to sustaining profitability during this period of economic uncertainty will be to identify the right target customers and define the right experiences. I think time has come for such an idea to sprout up more in the Indian markets.