Presenting MarketRook (2014 edition), the annual marketing magazine of NITIE

1. March
2014
MarketRook
Cover Story
Exclusive Interview
Binoj Vasu, CEO-Kuotient
What’s Inside
 Marketing Luxury Goods
 Selling Reality Shows
MarketRook-2014

2. From Editor’s desk
Dear Readers,
It gives us immense pleasure to bring out the 4th edition of NITIE’s annual marketing magazine.
If you take time to look around, you would witness the significance of marketing in every sphere of your life.
Starting from the time you get up in the morning, the brush, toothpaste you use, right up to the time you
crash on your bed at night, just think of those countless brands that shape your daily lifestyle. It’s a
continuous tussle between those countless brands laid across the horizon of consumer observation span. In a
season where marketers are leaving no stone unturned trying to grab consumer attention, marketing
automatically assumes utmost importance. And now in the era of technology where the world has become a
global village, marketing cannot stay far away from the shadows of it. So this time the edition focuses more
on digital marketing and new trends coming up in marketing.
Also, consumers are increasingly expressing and forming their individual identities through the brand
experiences and products they choose. As individuals further reflect on their consumption choices, they will
inevitably demand more of the luxury branded goods. So the article on “Digging the mindset of a luxurious
customer” is a must read for all the marketing enthusiasts.
It was an enriching experience for us. The support and enthusiasm you showed with your article entries was
overwhelming. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all the contributors. We hope you all enjoy reading
MarketRook current edition as much as we enjoyed making it.
Team MarketRook
MIG, NITIE
About NITIE
•
•
Established, 1963 by the Government of India through International Labour Union (ILO)
Recognised as “Centres of Excellence” along with IITs, IIMs & IISc by Ministry of HRD India
NITIE in Rankings
•
•
•
•
•
•
Received the "Most Industry Focussed Curriculum" award in ET Education Excellence Awards 2013
Ranked 5th in Business World B-School Rankings 2013
Ranked 6th in MBA Universe B-School Rankings 2012
Ranked 7th in CNBC TV 18 B-School Rankings 2012
Super League 1 (Top 8) in Business Standard Rankings 2012
Ranked 6th in Business World B-School Rankings 2011
Marketing at NITIE
• HUL LIME Season 1 winner
• Reckitt Benckiser Marketing case study 1st-Runners up
• NITIE’s flagship marketing event – “Mandi” is country’s largest stand alone event with nearly 1500
direct participants and sales of INR 10 lakhs
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3. Foreword
Greetings,
It gives me immense pleasure to bring forth the latest edition of MarketRook, the marketing
magazine of NITIE by Marketing Interest Group (MIG). During its 50 years of legacy, NITIE
has been making its presence felt in all the areas of management. MarketRook tries to capture
this essence in the field of marketing by bringing insights, business ideas, avenues and potential
areas of this simulating field of management to the student community. The current edition of
MarketRook focuses on the Digital Marketing & new trends in marketing. This edition also
touches upon gamut of other events that have claimed a significant mindshare of the people and
brings out the learning that these events encapsulate. MIG has tried to reach far and wide and
encompass the opinions of the students from eminent institutes of the country on such matters. I
appreciate MIG, the Marketing Club of NITIE for bringing out the magazine for the benefits of
the student community. I hope , MIG will keep the marketing enthusiasm among the students
and take it to a greater height.
Prof. Ashok K. Pundir
Convener
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4. CONTENTS
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11
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5. Lights, Camera, Action..& Marketing!
An Insight into Movie Marketing and emerging trends
“Irrespective of the genre and content of a film, the
basis of age, gender, lifestyles or genre and solving the
question of targeting it to the niche interest groups or the
wider audience.
Movies like Peepli Live, Shanghai, Ship
of Theseus were targeted at the urban multiplex going
audience while movies like Dabangg, Boss were
targeted at the masses and hence all the promotion
campaigns had a masala touch which relates to wider
audience across the nation
pre-release marketing budget decides the opening
weekend success for a film”-IIM A Research
This article summarizes marketing
strategies for a Movie and the recent trends in movie
marketing. With movie-makers around the world are
spending a substantial amount on marketing and
garnering huge opening successes on account of it, it
becomes essential to have a look at it in purview of
marketing frameworks.
Marketing Plan and budget
An effective plan takes into consideration the objective,
timelines and the budget. The objective is to create a
buzz in less time and accentuate the visibility. The
timelines are shifting well before the release date, with
promotions starting right before the shooting stage, with
celebrities tweeting about movie experience and
succeeded by teasers, theatrical trailers and activation
campaigns, lasting after the movie release.
4Ps of Movie Marketing
First, looking at the 4P analysis, it is observed that only
Promotion and Place are in control of a movie marketer,
since Product and Price are in control of the directors,
producers and theatres policies, respectively .Placement
involves factors like which territory to target or which is
the best time to release the movie. Some of the biggest
blockbusters were released during the Diwali or the
Christmas season. Similarly, very few releases are seen
during exam season or any big ticket cricket series.
Selecting the geographical area becomes critical based
on the theme of a movie. Promotions forms a key part
and cater to most of the marketing efforts, which will be
discussed in detail in subsequent section.
The marketing budget is estimated to determine which
promotion platforms to focus for expenditure. The big
budget movies have the advantage of star cast value in
promotion activities. According to experts, a film with a
budget of Rs. 50-70 cr should plan a budget 20-25% for
promotions, while a small movie with a budget of less
than 10 cr needs to substantially invest in promotions –
50-60% of budget to gain visibility in a highly cluttered
box-office which releases more than 250 movies every
year.
Segmenting, Targeting and Positioning
Further requires the segmentation of audience on the
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6. Promotion Mix
of movie Aladdin launched three ice cream flavours
based on the characters of the movie.
There is also a growing trend of merchandising in tieups with certain brands which includes launching tshirts, cups, bags, toys designed with movie posters,
taglines or song keywords. Ra-One partnered with
Homeshop18 and launched a series of toys based on its
characters and other merchandise. Makers of movie
“Cocktail” partnered with online portal Myntra.com to
release movie apparel collection.
It includes promotions across various platforms.
Above the Line: Conventional platforms
It includes promotions on Television and Radio which
displays the trailers, music launch, appearances in daily
soaps and reality shows, talk shows, behind the scene
documentaries, Print advertising includes movie posters
and ads in newspapers and magazines and also Outdoor
marketing like posters, banners, billboards in outdoor
places.
Below the Line : Getting Innovative
It include various events to engage audience, contests in
malls, flash mobs, star cast visit to malls, college fests
etc. Movie marketers are actively involved in
partnerships with other brands for co-branding .
Volkswagen tied up with the movie Go Goa Gone and
launched a facebook campaign. Also, Makers of
“Heroine” tied up with e-commerce portals like
Snapdeal, Myntra to run promotional offers. In-film
advertising that involves integration of brand massage
within film script are getting popularity as well. Other
innovative promotions include release of a 10-page daily
newspaper “Rann Times” by Director Ram Gopal
Verma before the release of the movie Rann. Aamir
Khan is renowned for his innovative marketing styles.
For promotions of his movie Ghajini, he went ahead to
trim Ghajini haircut in saloons and insisted ticket
counter boys, pop corn vendors and ushers in movie
theatres to sport Ghajini look .In a similar attempt, he
travelled acroos the country in disguise and asked the
fans to spot him, during the release of ‘3 Idiots’ .
Stars launching merchandise for movies
Through the line : Most Preferred option
There is a surge in Through the line promotions that
include promotions through Digital media like social
media, websites, blogs, apps and games. It starts right
from the stage of movie shooting with stars tweeting on
the sets, teasers getting first launched on you-tube
succeeded by theatrical trailers. Twitter trends related to
movie name, taglines or song keywords are getting
popularity. Badtameez Dil twitter trend created a buzz
before the youtube launch of the song and garnered
more than a million views in just 2 days. Even movie
trailers show the best tweets related to the movie to
emphasize
on
user
ratings.
Digital Posters, which are 30 sec videos and are a mix
between Trailers and posters, shown with animations
and background score snippets, are gaining popularity
with makers of Ek-Tha-Tiger and Talash launching it.
Aamir Khan giving the Ghajini look
There is also a growing trend of personalisation, treating
every film as a brand entity. Ashutosh Gowariker
promoted selling of 12 different flavours of popcorns in
theatres each corresponding to a different rashee, for the
promotion of movie “What’s Your Rashee” in which
Priyanka Chopra played 12 different characters. Makers
Celebrity tweets getting popularity
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7. Online campaigns are focusing on getting interactive
and engaging audience as much they can. Movie “Ship
of Theseus” launched a campaign to release the movie
first in the city which gets the maximum votes in the
poll on their Facebook page. Campaigns like “Guess the
tagline” or “Share your experience” on viewers thoughts
on a theme related to the movie, bundling with prizes,
are gaining traction. Director Imtiaz Ali, conducted an
online poll to vote among the three titles Ishq via
Bhatinda, Jab we met and Punjab Mail to finally select
the title for his movie Jab we Met. Also, Star casts are
getting interactive with live chats on google hangout or
skype with the lucky winners of a contest. In a similar
campaign by Eros for movie Teri Meri Kahani, fans
were given chance to interact with Shahid Kapoor and
Priyanka
Chopra
on
google
hangout.
Mobile marketing enables promoting ring tones, caller
tunes, wallpapers, screen savers, movie games, movie
apps to the target audience. Few movie makers went to
the extent of providing free WiFi in selected outlets of
McDonalds, Subways, CCD etc. as a means to
promotion.
Online Marketing on Youtube
Mobile games are also getting popular.YRF,for the
promotion of movie Lafangey Parindey, have came out
with a boxing game that shows animated Neil Nitin
Mukesh’s character and a similar skating game of
Deepika Padukone’s character. The games enables the
audience to get close to the movie characters.
With TV, radio and print media advertising slot rates are
escalating so frequently and a huge proportion of urban
youth having online presence, digital media provides a
cost effective means promotion, which is also more
customer engaging and gives the power to target
campaigns to the desired audience.
Author
Rochak Mathur || PGPM || MDI Gurgaon
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8. Marketing In The World Of Digital Sharing
A BANE OR A BOON?
Introduction
marketing could be quoted as marketing through electronic
media. It differs from the traditional form in its methods
and implementation both. But from where did digital
marketing come from? The answer lies in the fact that
change is what determines change. Gone are the days when
information sharing was through magazines and other print
media only. Now, anything and everything is shared
electronically through different channels in no time. Social
networking sites, mobile apps, etc. are the new medium of
information sharing. It is therefore the profuse use of digital
media that has given birth to digital marketing. Digital
media is so pervasive that consumers have access to
information incessantly and ubiquitously. It would not be
wrong to say that digitization has on one hand given
marketing a plethora of useful tools while on the other, set
challenges by making marketing more measurable.
The current generation lives in an era that has its twists and
turns in the hands of technology, which is advancing by the
day, and establishing its roots with a wide span over
multiple domains. From radios to televisions to the Internet,
technology has become a game changer and has led to the
creation of the “Digital” world which rules out the
traditional forms and occupies the foremost position in all
rankings. Digitization has not just created a boom in the
electronic industry but has also touched upon various other
fields that have an impact on our day-to-day lives. The
emergence of technology has aroused a whole new set of
needs and desires that have brought about a revolution in
the long traded trends of marketing by exemplifying new
ways of selling. It has punctuated the evolution of
advertising throughout history, each fundamentally altering
the way businesses could communicate with their
customers. With the adoption rate of advancements beating
the speed of light and the consumers being more and more
knowledgeable, marketers need to work their head hard so
as to get heard. A look into the lens of marketing history
reveals that marketers have, at every stage, opted to live up
the trend.
Marketing had existed ever since people had something to
sell. But the enormous amount of advancement has caused
it to form various branches that deal differently and in
different environments. Digital sharing rejuvenates
marketing with different elements. Social media marketing,
Content marketing, Mobile marketing, E-mail marketing,
Big Data, In-game advertising etc. all are the shades of
marketing that were unheard few years ago. However these
have also brought about a behavioural change that now
demands every marketing tactic either to be digitized or to
get unnoticed. The more technological, more advanced
version has given the marketers new powers to sell and
make profits.
What is digital marketing?
With the advancements in the electronic media and IT,
newer forms of marketing have evolved which are defined
by the use of technology for marketing. This is what is
called as “Digital Marketing”. In simplistic terms, digital
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9. The more technological, more advanced version has
given the marketers new powers to sell and make
profits. Recognition which was earlier dependent on
word of mouth is now measurable by the number by
likes achieved on the Facebook page or other sites. It
gives the customers the potential to share their views
with their friends, relatives, colleagues through a
medium accessible to all. At the same time, monitoring
the success of a strategy or product can now be done
electronically which supports taking right and timely
decisions. Tracking not only social media but also
featuring mobile applications and other channels to
make the brand or product visible is now an inevitable
component for marketers.
the marketers for the kind of responses being generated.
Air-fare booking is a classic example.
The marketing commercials and other pop-ups on the
window screens get the attention of the prospective
customers and serve their purpose of providing
information about the product or service. It can be called
as an induced marketing strategy where the customer is
not willingly looking for the product but might get
interested in it by viewing the commercial. This is one
of the many ways that markets develop a space for
themselves online.
5.Cost: It is highly reduced as the marketing campaign
goes online as soon as it is ready. The development of a
digital marketing strategy is cheaper than traditional
marketing plans.
3.Automation: Keeping a record of number of visitors
on the website and observing the pattern of visitors
provides useful data for analyzing the marketing
scheme. The use of internet has made it possible for the
businesses to stay awake while the owners are asleep.
4.Engagement: Associating the customers with services
that allow them to get their desirable products on the
website or providing them with special offers engages
them with the company. E.g. online shopping sites show
tags such as “people who visited this page also
visited…” etc.
6.Exposure: Businesses can make their presence felt in
any corner of the world without incurring much costs
and by the use of search engine optimization they can
even build a good market share in the host countries by
implementing an influential marketing strategy.
Digital marketing has showed businesses a new way to
market their product or service. It has introduced itself
to almost all sectors including food, health, banking,
airlines, lifestyle, etc. Outlets such as Starbucks, CCD,
Dominos, etc. also maintain regular updates on the
social networks and attract customers. Another
important area where digitization has made an elevation
is the news segment. Real time information is acquired
with a single click on-the-go. Today, events of one
region are not restricted to geographies and are visible to
the rest of the world at the same time. The success of
websites like bookmyshow.com, ticketnew.com etc has
not only supported sales figures but also boosted
confidence amongst the sellers and investors.
7.Responsive: Offering feedback and customer care
links with 24 x 7 availability allows businesses to be
more responsive to the customers. Online support
through video or audio conferencing allows glitches to
be tackled efficiently and effectively.
With the trend that has been set by the technology
revolution, a good marketing strategy is now defined by
how efficiently it utilizes the elements of digital sharing.
The strategy of the marketers is thus to attract, engage
and reach the consumers with the best possible use of
digital media and ultimately increase their sales.
But are we ignoring something?
Why is digital marketing so attractive?
While the digital world looks quite promising it holds a
flip side too. The ever blooming IT industry and fast
running innovations are making marketing a challenging
task. The use of digital media has made competition to
strike so hard that it has become an albatross around the
neck of the marketers. The use of digital media has
made competition to strike so hard that it has become an
albatross around the neck of the marketers. While the
establishment of current technology has already paced
up, the intense pressure to lead in such a competitive
environment has led marketers to increase their appetite
for more innovative strategies. Marketers need to focus
not only on the current trends but also look beyond to
identify the future of tomorrow. The world is full of
technology and to sustain in such an environment, the
marketers need to implement their strategy keeping in
mind the multiple channels on which they need to
market.
Digital marketing is spread across multiple channels and
has shown up multiple facets. It has come up as an opted
domain for businesses. The various reasons for its
widespread acceptance are:
1.Reach: It makes a product or service visible to a large
audience in lesser time as compared to the traditional
methods. Multiple channels are available that provide a
platform to market efficiently. Smart phones have
pioneered in providing marketers with an excellent
opportunity to market anytime and anywhere. Other
mediums include e-mails, social media, SEO, etc.
2.Real time: Marketing with the use of photos and
videos is now a trend being followed. Commercials on
Youtube and other social media are presented to
prospective customers where they experience the
product online with the experience of real-time. Another
aspect is that real-time information is being shared with
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10. Another challenge for the marketers is the generation of
marketing tactics as per the technology or platform used
by the consumers. Different kind of electronic devices
used by the consumers demand different protocols,
specifications, etc.; the marketers thus have to deal with
the limitations of the technology while planning their
marketing strategy. Also the consumers make use of
different channels in different ways. For example an
internet user might be spending maximum time on
social networking while another user does blogging.
This difference in usage sets a new task on the table; the
task of approaching the consumers in different ways.
Search engine optimization is a technique that enlists the
desired search result at the top of the list when searched
for the keywords; is a very important element of online
marketing. Website creators now have a concern to
design sites that are compatible with computers as well
as phones and tablets also. Online shopping sites require
transactions to be made and desire to have a smooth and
secure flow of currency to be done. This requires great
attention as one could lose a customer if he/she finds the
process too cumbersome. The need to balance all the
customer requirements and fulfilling the target of
marketing, that is, sales or revenue generation, needs a
strong and successful marketing plan that is well
implemented too. A very important thing that marketers
need to have a check on is that their strategy and online
marketing should not be overdone; this could annoy the
consumers and may even drive them to completely
ignore the online banners and pop-ups.
A concern for the marketers arises from the amount of
data that is generated by the consumers. Customers
usually leave behind voluminous data from which
extracting the right part and analyzing and therefore
generating value becomes a tedious task. Faster
decisions require the extraction of value from big data.
This is another challenge that digital marketing holds in
store for the marketers.
Opportunities and Risks
The demand for marketers now is to explore ways in
which they can harness the power of the emerging
technology to connect with their target audience while
dealing with the challenges. Recent news reports have
shown that social media marketing contributes
significantly to the revenue generation of various
businesses.
At the top is Facebook - the ads on it drove 60% of the
sales revenue in Q4 of 2013. According to a report from
Econsultancy and Adobe (Table given below), customer
experience, mobile and content marketing are among the
three most important business opportunities in 2014
while multichannel campaign, personalization and big
data are still pacing up. Therefore, the key to sustain
business in such a challenging domain requires the
management of customer relationship through different
channels - traditional and digital, innovating
strategically, extracting value from big data, and having
the thirst for expansion.
Source: http://econsultancy.com/blog/64190-10-interestingdigital-marketing-statistics-we-ve-seen-this-week-18
Risk of sharing information has always been a concern
for the audience. Whether it is a social networking site
or an online transaction, customers always look forward
to credibility. This, however, is highly optimized by the
various security protocols authentication signatures. The
risk on the marketers’ end lies onto the brand value that
has been built over years; it is now open to all possible
comments – good or bad – and with the news going viral
within seconds the marketers have to be on the edge all
the time.
Technology thus has the power to open up new markets,
and to radically shake up the existing ones. The
mainstream adoption of digital technology – the internet,
the software applications that run on it, and the devices
that allow people to connect to both the network and
each other whenever, wherever and however they want
to – promises to dwarf all that has come before it. It
heralds the single most disruptive development in the
history of marketing. Whether the disruption is a threat
or an opportunity for a marketer depends on perspective.
Author
Divya Arora || PGDM || IMT Ghaziabad
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11. Ad Analysis - Hindustan Unilever
Agency: David/ Ogilvy & Mather; Director: Errol Morris (Academy Award Winner)
Consumer goods honcho Unilever has come up with an emotionally charged advertisement based on its
global sustainability initiative titles Project Sunlight. The ad asks an empathetic question – “Why Bring a
Child into this World?”
The basic premise of the advertisement is built around the emotions of real expectant parents. The ethnically
diverse groups of would-be parents are shown a movie that mixes footage of violence and despair with
hopeful messages about the future. They share their feelings and express their views after watching the
footage. The advertisement is backed by an engaging piano cover of The Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" which
helps in maintaining the overall emotional yet positive tone.
“There are key child-related moments, particularly around the birth of a first child, when people are
more open to changes in their own behaviours and lifestyles”
But why ask such a question in the first place? Unilever Chief Marketing & Communications Officer, Keith
Weed has something to explain: “We have extensive experience and research into what drives – and what
limits – mass behaviour change. From this experience, we know that parenthood creates a profound shift in
people’s view of the world and what the anticipated future will mean for the lives of their children.” The
advertisement also takes insights from an international research which says that there are key child-related
moments, particularly around the birth of a first child, when people are more open to changes in their own
behaviours and lifestyles.
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12. Ad Analysis cont.
Sen and Bhattacharya in their classic 2001 paper found that the effects of CSR information on company
reputation/evaluation are mediated by consumer-company convergence and moderated by consumer support
of the concerned CSR domain. Unilever has cleverly picked up a topic that will have a mass appeal because
parenthood is inescapable by most of the world’s population.
The fact that ordinary people share their experiences makes the advertisement even more appealing.
Emotional advertising targets the audience through real life experiences and relies on them being so
involved with the characters and finding the story so relevant that it hits an emotional chord. Shahrukh Khan
lends his voice to the initiative and wonderfully plays the role of narrator in the short film. His voice
conveys a tone of seriousness as well as optimism and blends with the video perfectly.
The clip has become viral and has garnered many positive comments from commenters on
Unilever's Facebook page as well as Youtube. One of the viewers wrote: “So touching, close to tears.”
However such bold advertisements have to face the heat of some not-so-satisfied viewers like – “One video
by Unilever doesn't mean that problems like poverty, water crisis, global warming, suicide bombings,
overpopulation, etc will be solved soon. People living in the first world watching a Youtube ad in the
comfort of their homes should realize that. Don't be brainwashed by the music. The world is overcrowded
right now and we definitely need more people to use condoms, to prevent diseases and babies.”
Unilever has been cautious to select responses which resonate globally, avoiding use of
humour which can differ from one culture to another, and instead using a mix pot of inspiration, sadness,
warmth and knowledge to develop sharing. Overall, the advertisement inspires viewers by making them feel
proud of the human spirit, giving all parents hope for the future and leaving viewer to walk away feeling
increasingly positive about mankind.
Unilever takes a big step in making such a bold advertisement but the question remains
whether it would the positively strengthen the image of the company and boost the bottom line.
Analysis by
Nikhil Tiwari || PGDIM || NITIE
Saurabh Dewan || PGDIE || NITIE
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13. Selling Reality Shows
Are they playing with the minds of the viewers?
Introduction
to such needs of the viewers.
E.g. - Koffee with Karan, The David Letterman Show, Jay
Leno's Tonight Show, The Oprah Winfrey Show
In the early twentieth century, with the advent of
Television, soaps and dramas along with movies occupied
the prime air time. Years after the Second World War, as
people's enchantment with soaps began to wean, a new
type of shows began to be aired which showed real life
situations in which common people and celebrities were
involved or put through. Pioneered by the likes of Allen
Funt's Candid Camera (aired from 1948 to 2004), this new
segment came to be called as Reality shows (as opposed to
the scripted ones). They offered the public a fresh breath
of air from the regular soaps which were too dramatic and
became predictable. There are many other psychological
reasons as to why reality shows went on to become such
massive hits.
b) Celebrity competition shows: Here the competition is
conducted amongst celebrities or celebrities vs. common
people. When celebrities are put through intense and
engaging competitions it forms a winning strategy for the
reality shows.
E.g. Jhalak Dhikla Ja, Celebrity Cricket League etc.
c) Talent Shows/Competition shows: The talent of the
masses remain hidden for a long time, until an opportunity
presents itself to them to bring it out. Talent shows provide
them with such opportunities and allow them to compete
against other people
E.g. Kaun Banega Crorepati, Sa re ga ma pa, American
Idol, India's Got Talent, MasterChef
The various types of Reality shows
In the current times the reality shows can be broadly
classified under the following categories based on their
central theme/content:
d) Factual television shows: In these shows, the viewers
are exposed to true events or their reconstructions. It could
range from, ‘the life of celebrities is shown’ to
documentaries, and travelogues, build it yourself shows,
remodelling, etc.
a) Celebrity Talk Shows: The personal lives of celebrities
are always an interesting theme of contention for the
masses. The fascination with what goes on into their dayto-day activities and their styles and preferences is never
ending and hence these shows cater
E.g. Guinness world records, COPS, Ripley's Believe it or
not funny videos
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14. e) Hidden Camera shows: Spoofs and Parodies come
under this category. Herein the participants of the show are
unaware that they are being filmed and their reactions are
filmed when subject to certain stimulus. A variant of this
type was show in the movie- The Truman Show wherein
the participant was kept in confined enclosure all his life
without his knowledge.
E.g. Just For Laugh Gags, Candid Camera
f) Panopticon shows: These shows have a number of
participants put together in an enclosed area wherein they
would have to interact with each other. These interactions
will be recorded and shown on a day-to-day/weekly basis.
Some of these shows would have elimination rounds to see
who survives till the end.
E.g. Big Brother, Splitsvilla etc.
Selling to the viewers
The production teams and the cast sell these reality shows
to the viewers by appealing to the various sensualities of
the viewers. The viewers of various segments of reality
shows find some psychological need of theirs satisfied via
these shows, which can be judged from the testimony that
the number of Reality Programs had increased by close to
a hundred fold (4 to 320) in a decade (2000 – 2010).
“http://screenrant.com/reality-tv-statistics-infographic-aco149257/”
Some of those factors/needs of the viewers which are
utilised for selling the reality shows are discussed below:
a) Piquing Curiosity – As human beings, we are fallible
to curiosity. This curiosity could be of many forms:
curiosity about the world around us, or curiosity about the
emotional sides of others, or about others’ reaction in
certain situations. The latter two types of curiosity relating
to people's emotional lives and their reactionary traits are
well catered to by these reality shows.
This trait of curiosity is particularly stronger in certain
cultures such as India. “In India, people want to know
about others personal lives, so reality shows try to cash in
on cheap publicity.”
E.g. Panopticon shows such as Bigg Boss, Splitsvilla etc
b) Non-soap Entertainment -The public, who have been
watching soaps and dramas most of the time, started
craving for something new. This freshness in content is
provided by candidness (at least presumably candid). And
that is what reality shows provide to the viewers.
Examples abound such as 'Sa re ga ma', India's first reality
show (music talent show) which went on to be a
huge hit as it was a deviation from the regular soap operas
of that time period. The success of this reality
entertainment genre can be gauged from the spike in
viewership from 2000-2010.
c) Expectations of reality - In psychological circles, it is
said that most people are disillusioned with the reality in
their lives and hence look for it in other's lives. And since
these shows carry the tag “Reality” in it, they are naturally
drawn to it. They wish to see better realities of others or
see their own realities to be better than others', as per their
superiority or inferiority complexes respectively. People
can be easily misled to perceive the fake acts as real.
This need is well captured by the production team,
especially the script writers, who change the
characteristics of the participants according to viewer
responses/expectation from time to time.
d) Emotional Connect – Most humans tend to associate
themselves with the lead characters of a story/movie while
watching/listening to it. The viewers tend to form an
emotional connect with the various characters portrayed in
the reality show. It could be for the ones they find
themselves most similar with, or the ones they like the
most. Then they are drawn to watch the show repeatedly to
see what happens to their favourite characters in the show.
The producers exploit this need by hosting wide range of
characters to appeal to a large section of viewers.
e) Holding the sceptre – A lot of reality shows offer the
viewers the chance to decide the fate of the contestants in
the show be either voting mechanism or online feedback.
This makes the viewers feel that their decisions personally
affect the contestants and gives them a sense of
gratification of holding power over other's lives.
E.g. American Idol, Big Brother etc.
f) People's Schadenfreude – A lot of people derive a
sense of self-assurance by watching others in misery.
Some would even feel a sense of contentment by it. This
feeling is well captured by the German word
'Schadenfreude'. A lot of shows, these days, harness this
emotion by displaying characters being put through
miserable conditions of physical or emotional torture.
Verbal abuses, emotional tortures etc too come in this
category as they are used freely at the contestants in many
shows. Sometimes, in some of these shows it goes much
beyond reality too, but the public doesn’t mind it when it
forms a cohesive unit of the plot of the show.
E.g. Emotional Atyachar, Roadies, The Jersey shore etc.
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15. g) Peer Influence – Aggressive marketing of these
shows by the production companies makes them the talk
of the town. People tend to discuss the shows that they
watch at office or while travelling or in social
gatherings. This influences non-viewers to watch the
shows just so that they can stay relevant in such
discussions. And later that can be converted into regular
viewership.
These are the viewer’s needs that the reality shows try to
use as a factor for their success.
Strategies implemented in selling these shows
There are issues besides the hard-core aggressive
marketing that largely contribute to the success of these
reality shows. Some of them have been discussed below.
Each reality show format tends to employ a distinct way
of positioning its show to set it apart from the rest of the.
That is their USP (Unique Selling Point).
1. Stoking Sympathy and Empathy of the people –
Shows such as The Kaun Banega Crorepati give out a
brief introductory video about the contestant as he/she
enters the “Hot Seat” in which the background of the
contestant along with their main motivation are shown.
The contestants who come from difficult backgrounds
tend to gain the sympathy of the people and thus win a
lot of viewers. Naturally the viewers are piqued about
the fate of these contestants and would tune-in in larger
numbers in the next week to find out what happened to
these contestants. Thus the show builds on viewership
by depicting the background of such contestants. Also it
is always made sure that such contestants are always
cleared until they get on to the next day's show to be
followed up on. In all the seasons, the winners have
always been the ones who would seem to need it the
most in the eyes of the viewers.
2. Catering to the Voyeuristic nature of people –
Shows such as Big Brother and Splitsvilla allow the
people to engage in voyeuristic activities. Secretly most
people like to watch the personal activities of others.
And placing cameras around the contestants round the
clock, the shows offer such opportunities to the viewers.
In most seasons of such shows, the contestants engage
in more than platonic relationships to raise the TRP
levels for the show.
3. Stoking Ego of the viewers -Shows such as “16 and
Pregnant” and “Teen Mom” series show girls who
became moms at ages that are not socially acceptable
(these shows are being critically noted for glamorizing
teen pregnancy and thus catering to teen moms). These
shows portray dysfunctional relationships, child abuse
and addiction to drugs and alcohol. Such shows make
the viewers feel that their own lives are so much better
than that of the contestants.
4. Selling Motivation to the viewers – By showing
success in Competition Shows genre of the reality
shows, viewers are motivated to step out of their
comfort zones and overcome seemingly insurmountable
obstacles just as their favourite contestants did. Shows
like “The Biggest Loser” motivate people to work out
and stay fit. Other examples are “Dancing with the
Stars”, “The Voice” etc.
5. Engaging Celebrities in online promotion using
Social Media- Celebrities have a lot of following. So
when a celebrity endorses shows or tweets interesting
comments about a show it is certain to increase the
viewership. E.g. Jennifer Weiner's hysterical tweets
about the show “The Bachelorette” sky-rocketed the
viewership of the series.
Sympathy for the contestants is a strong motivation for
the viewers to watch a show. Other shows that partially
employ this strategy for at least some of its contestants
are MTV Roadies.
6.Providing Non-Brain stressing entertainment –
Shows such as “Keeping up with the Kardashians” and
“The Real Housewives” offer continuous entertainment
which doesn’t take a lot of effort to discern and dissect.
It serves as a daily dose of relaxant to the viewers after a
day full of stressful activity.
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16. The Big Question- Are they playing with the minds
of the viewers?
In short Reality shows these days, rarely every depict
reality. They are as scripted as soap operas and bank on
creating controversies to grab viewer's attention and
generate maximum revenue via SMS voting practices.
Most shows in India get Rs.3-4 per SMS sent as a vote.
Even a regional language show, generates Rs.60-80
crore revenue per episode by this system which is then
shared proportionately between the production house
and the telecom operator.
The popularity and aggressive marketing of reality
shows has made it increasingly hard to avoid watching.
An example is the show Big Brother, which is aired 5
days in a week and also available online. The featuring
of these reality shows on cover pages of leading
magazines like Temptation Island featured on People
magazine and survivor on New York Post are other
examples.
Reality shows are like a walking stick, they can be used
beneficially to aid in walking or destructively. There are
several positive things that people can learn from
competition shows such as perseverance and
communication. And the other side of the coin is that
younger generation may get influenced to follow
profanity, unethical behaviours and indulge in
malpractices to oust the competition. Viewers should
just look at these shows as Entertainment in these cases
and not perceive them as reality.
Reality shows fantasize on ordinary people about
gaining fame. Though in most cases it’s only 15 minute
fame, but the viewers are taken for a ride in this
temporary illusion. Viewer’s perceptions are being
altered, about reality being more different that what it
already is as in the case of Snooki effect. As a result of
Snooki effect, young girls tend to think that in the real
world it is ok to use profane words, indulge in graphic
discussions about sex and crib about other women all
the time. Though the real nature of the contestants may
not be so, the production team makes the contestants
portray such nature to increase the TRP rating.
Author
Vignesh Kannan.P || PGDM || IMT Ghaziabad
Allu Reshma || PGDM || IMT Ghaziabad
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17. Marketing insights from
Mr. Binoj Vasu
CEO, Kuotient
Which Marketing Strategy does your company follow?
Kuotient is a social learning platform that focuses on connecting people who have practical knowledge with
those who can gain from that knowledge. Our Marketing Strategy focuses mainly on two areas, namely
Online Connect and Offline Experiences. For our online connect part, we use the social media extensively
through various formats including communications, campaigns, contests and referrals. For the Offline
Experiences, we follow a more traditional approach where-in we conduct knowledge symposiums which leads
to excellent word-of-mouth as the quality of our initiatives are fairly high. Of course, we also use the social
media to drive visibility for our offline experience part as well.
How effectively you utilize social media in your company’s marketing?
Social media is one of the most powerful marketing mediums today. Kuotient’s primary objective is
knowledge collaboration and our primary tool to achieve this objective has been Social Media. Whether it’s
our own portal’s methodology or the channels we have been using while reaching out to the Mentors and
Learners, we have relied heavily on Social Media. Social Media for us is a lot more than just a Marketing
Medium. It is the core of our operational methodology. Our endeavour is to enable easy and effective sharing
of Knowledge and hence we use Social Media extensively for enabling this. We use all forms of Social Media
including Networking Sites, Blogging portals, Chat portals to maximize our effectiveness as a knowledge
sharing organization but also to ensure branding and visibility for our Mentors and partners.
Your views on - “Organisation Branding” and the ways in which an organisation can innovatively do
it?
Organizational Branding in the traditional format would typically involve advertisement and marketing in the
print and visual media. However, they cannot communicate the real value of the brand like another highly
innovative medium, i.e. the employees of the organization. No one understands the organization better than
the employees and hence there cannot be a better brand ambassador for the organization than the employee.
Organizations need to harness this innovative methodology by enabling their employees with opportunities to
speak and propagate the good word about the Organization. Not only is this a much more cost effective
branding methodology compared to traditional methods, it is also much more believable and hence leaves a
stronger impact with the target communities. This is incidentally one of Kuotient’s core support offerings for
Organizational clients.
What would be your one piece of advice for all the marketing enthusiasts following MarketRook?
I would like to give two pieces of advice, both equally important. One is about Continual Learning: Marketing
is a fast action game and hence continual learning is crucial to keep pace with the latest trends and
opportunities. Two is about the Spirit of Marketing: You need to remember that Marketing is not about great
creatives, but more importantly about creating content that is beneficial to your audience.
I wish all the marketing enthusiasts following MarketRook my very best for their future endeavours.
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18. Digging the mindset of luxury goods
consumers
Luxury brands have always been a fascinating space
and luxury brand marketing is both challenging and
complicated. Luxury branded goods is an expression of
social class, income and refined taste, allowing
consumers to distinguish themselves from the
mainstream. Luxury branded goods evolved from status
symbols into social codes, identifying the owner as
belonging to the larger collective group. These consumer
mindset have allowed luxury branded goods to maintain
a strong presence despite macro-economic pressures.
Over the past few years, lux-aholic behaviour has
quelled relative to 1990s and early 2000s. But consumer
sentiment is increasingly optimistic as people cautiously
climb out of a recessionary period.
Consumer motivation
Quality, status and appeal are the three major motivators
that drive people to want and acquire luxury brands. At
the base level, luxury brands are known to deliver
superior experience at two levels – first, at a product
level and second, at an experiential level. People are
extremely concerned about the way these brands make
them look to everyone else.
Source: Google images
Luxury brands have always been connected to
exclusivity. But if we look at it from the perspective of
the consumer, the definition of exclusivity goes through
an evolution. In the initial stage, having the ability or
affluence to own a luxury brand which is desirable and
recognizable by everyone is exclusivity. It is a means
through which consumers assert themselves- whether it
is to fit-in or simply to make a statement. As more and
more people own the same brand and join the exclusive
‘ownership’ club, just owning a recognizable symbol is
not enough. Consumers now feel a strong urge to
differentiate themselves to further confirm their social
status and to stand out among the equals. The source of
exclusivity, then, can manifest in form of acquiring
limited editions or something with extraordinary product
capabilities or rare materials, craftsmanship; it can also
be driven by brand’s distinctive personality or simply
the knowledge of the brand legacy.
Another observation is that people who seek
differentiation tend to have larger repertoire of luxury
brands, have a definitive reason for their choice and
sometime even prefer to stick to specialist brands. An
example could be Rolex, which stands as a symbol of
heroic achievement or Tiffany, a symbol of love and
beauty. Not surprisingly, most luxury brands have a rich
pedigree and extraordinary history. A consumer
purchasing a Gucci or Prada product is no doubt
influenced by brand‘s rich lineage, heritage and the
years of mastery. While genuine appreciation for
product excellent needs no explanation, it is not
mutually exclusive. In simple words, it does not mean
that people who acquire luxury brands for either
asserting-self or differentiation have no appreciation and
love for beautiful products. But, then there are others
who buy luxury without having any baggage of what
others think.
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19. They buy it because they genuinely love the physical /
functional attributes that the product delivers or because
they find a profound connection with the brand / the
brand story. The bottom line is that whether it is self
assertion, differentiation or genuine appreciation for
product excellence, the aura that surrounds the brands is
what makes luxury brands desirable.
In today’s era of individualism, people are looking for
unique products, irrespective of the price. There is a
growing resistance among consumers in owning the
same brands as ‘everyone else’. This trend is
particularly evident across all ages of women, from the
young parasite singles to older affluent women.
Consumers express the sense that a luxury brand’s high
penetration and visibility decreases its aspirational
value. Brands that succeed will be those that respond to
consumers’ desire for unique products. Increasing
consumer desire for unique products creates
opportunities for new entries both at the high end in the
luxury category as well as for safe fashion choices at
lower price points.
Emerging vs. Traditional markets
The key macro-trend impacting the luxury market in
coming years will be generational shift.
Mind, Body & Soul
Consumers are looking for enriched brand experiences.
Market trends beg the existence of counter-trends,
reflected in consumer shifts away from what is too
readily available. The luxury brands of today reflect
elite customers’ desires for exclusivity, uniqueness, and
more individual identities. So keeping that in mind,
leading brands are offering limited and special editions.
Over the past decade, luxury brand marketers’ responses
to consumer needs for total brand experience have
accelerated. “Luxury loyalists” have become even more
discerning than before, and demand enriched brand
experiences in return for their patronage, thereby
creating challenges for luxury brands to deepen the
emotional bonds between them and the brand. Going
Source: Bain report
This is applicable for both emerging and traditional
markets. But there are some country-dependent factors
which also explain enthusiasm for luxury. Consumers in
traditional markets are looking for both product and
service quality whilst consumers in emerging markets
are still looking for status symbols and social
acknowledgement. For them, luxury is a means of
conveying a trendy lifestyle, a unique personality and
expresses a desire to display social distinction. It is also
motivated by hedonistic desires such as self-indulgence
as well as a need to reward oneself.
Changing consumer attitude and mindsets
beyond the expected superior levels of customer service,
successful luxury brands now offer to enrich every
aspect of one’s life – a total brand experience for the
mind, body and soul. As consumers desire brand
interactions beyond the retail environment, brands are
no longer just selling to customers, but are providing
services that will be scrutinized for a certain level of
quality.
Today there is shift away from traditional social codes
which is transforming the sources of identity for both
men and women. Their brand choices are increasingly
aligned with their desire for self-expression and
relatively higher levels of individuality.
From “Me Too” to “Me First
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20. Diversity in Brand Lifestyle
‘Going Green’ effect
Consumers easily accept and believe that less expensive
brands can deliver value in terms of quality and
functionality. In 80s and 90s luxury brands were
purchased based on their prestige and aspirational value.
But times have changed. As consumers of this
generation acquire high level of confidence, many do
not feel the need to prove themselves by acquiring a
luxury brand. Also consumers’ previously negative
attitudes toward the purchase of discounted products are
changing. Today, it is socially acceptable to purchase
off-price or from discount stores. With a combination of
increased confidence, shifting life stage priorities, and
an adapted definition of value, a trend is observed across
all global markets that consumers are increasingly
mixing ‘high’ and ‘low’ lifestyles. Even though lowerpriced items and discount shops are increasingly socially
accepted, only those delivering on quality will succeed.
Today’s Consumers look towards ‘green’ luxury.
Today, consumers are increasingly expressing and
forming their individual identities through the brand
experiences and products they choose. People have
started embracing environment at all levels and
consumers are increasingly concerned about their
carbon footprints. This is further fuelled by Hollywood
and the causes celebre of global celebrities, all making
an undeniable impact on global consumer trends. In the
near future, consumers will increasingly demand
ecologically sustainable and ethically sound labour
practices to be woven into the brand stories of luxury
branded goods. Green luxury will continue to influence
consumers, leading to the natural institution by luxury
brands of corporate social responsibility measures that
address consumer sensitivities.
What’s in a Label?
In an era of low-cost manufacturing, authenticity still
reigns. Earlier consumers were obsessed with country of
origin of a brand. Foreign luxury branded goods from
Italy and France were seen as prestigious and stylish.
Today, leading luxury brands are opening facilities in
China, chasing cost reductions and manufacturing
efficiencies. Luxury brands have commanded a
premium for their products based on the premise of
higher quality linked to country- specific artisanal skills.
More than 90% of consumers believe that in order for a
luxury brand to be a true brand, it must offer quality.
There is already evidence that consumers will not
continue to pay premiums for luxury products that are
made in China at a lower expense to the manufacturer.
Research has shown that consumers would “lose interest
in purchasing items tied to a specific country’s heritage
that are produced elsewhere” – such as French brand
manufactured in China. To the consumer, quality is
intrinsically and emotionally connected to the
overarching brand story and brand heritage which
contributes to the status and premium price. Maintaining
the trust and respect of consumers by delivering
authentic products will derive higher value for both
manufacturer and consumer.
Recent consumer research on the mindset of luxury
consumers suggests that the era of the individual is now.
Luxury brands that wish to succeed will need to
continue to adapt, echoing ever changing consumer
desires – their attitudes and mindsets driven by
continually changing social demographics. Parasite
singles and affluent women will continue to drive
category revenue. However, luxury brands that keep
their pulse on developing trends may find that new
segments and sub-segments can be nurtured beyond
consumers who fall within the “luxury loyalist” category
as well as among those whose interest may be declining.
Author
Anurag Kumar || MBA(IB) || IIFT Delhi
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21. REAL TIME MARKETING
Here's introducing you to the marketing industry's
latest infatuation: Real Time Marketing. Real Time
Marketing is defined as 'on the fly' engagement by the
Brand to push it's Brand name, product or service
unobtrusively into conversations centred around events
happening in real time. It is implemented mostly
through social media and in the digital space. It is a
newer, unconventional method of marketing as
compared to conventional, pre-planned marketing
strategies which may have been thought out and
developed earlier whereas Real time Marketing
strategies have to be developed and executed instantly,
as public memory, conversations and focus is extremely
short and may shift instantly from one relevant story to
another. The challenge lies in connecting the Brand to
these stories and bringing the Brand into these everyday
conversations buzzing around the world.
Example of Real Time Marketing
'Oreo wins the SuperBowl'* screamed the papers the
next day. And all because of one witty tweet from the
world's most loved cookie brand. And with more than
10,000 Retweets and around 15000 new followers
gained within an hour of it's bold, smartass tweet, it
surely won the night out and out.
Experts reckoned this single tweet had had more impact
than Oreo's expensively shot advertisement for the
Superbowl. What happened you ask? Well, the power
went out during the Superbowl game between the
Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens. Oreo,
crowned the unofficial king of Real Time Marketing
sensed an opportunity and tweeted this during the
unfortunate power-out hiatus:
The most impactful Brand exercise during one of the
biggest events in the American sporting Calendar wasn't
even an ultra-expensive celebrity commercial, as has
been the trend in recent years, but a mere tweet from an
opportunistic Brand, which conceptualised and executed
it's super-witty graphic within minutes!
Scope
IBM surveyed the world's top 500 Brands and found out
that around 85% of these companies had integrated realtime marketing into their core marketing strategies.
Companies were using Data and analytics in a big way
to develop and design customer-relevant responsive ads
and offers in real time. It was found that customers are
able to connect on a more emotional level with Brands
which engage in communications based on real time
events and news. Consumers could relate to the Brand
message better and felt a 'sense of belongingness' with
the Brand which engaged in Real-Time conversations
with consumers.
*The Superbowl is the annual Championship game of the National Football league (NFL), the highest level of professional American football and one of the most viewed
sporting events in the world by sheer volume.
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22. Experts reckon real-time marketing communications
have a bigger short term impact, significantly higher
than those of pre-planned strategies as the brand comes
across as spontaneous, natural and creative in the
moment. It also creates a more positive long term image
for the Brand, as one which is alive and kicking, and
truly living in the present alongside the end consumers.
The Brand equity, brand awareness and visibility
definitely increase as an effect of smart real-time
marketing
focus point during social media conversations on a slow
news day, or during events which may be totally
irrelevant to your Brand. It also requires a flattened
office structure, unlike the conventional hierarchical
marketing team structure, since to implement real-time
campaigns; you need to have near absolute freedom and
instant approvals and feedback. The entire creative,
decision making and execution process has to be
streamlined.
Identify the key influencers, bloggers and experts in the
digital space who set the mood and flavour of all the
happening conversations in the social medium, then try
to interact with them, giving them importance and
bringing your Brand into the public consciousness. As
the conversation builds up heat, you could even start
designing entire ad campaigns around them.
How To Implement Real Time Marketing:
Success in the real-time marketing domain starts with a
Brand's day to day functioning. Success cannot be
centred on a single, humorous, real time Brand
communication but begins by bring the Brand into
everyday conversations on a regular basis. Since success
very clearly depends upon 'hijacking' the buzz generated
by events and happenings trending around the world, the
Brand very clearly needs to keep its eyes and ears open
on the ground (in the real world), especially in the social
media and the digital domain.
Here's another example of some witty Real time
marketing by two Chocolate Giants: Oreo and KitKat,
which turned the inadvertent Laure Ellen into a mini
celebrity. Who do you think won Laura's affection?
Analysing data, targeting the right audience and cleverly
positioning itself in the right space around real-time
events is essential for consistent results. Implementing
small, repeatable initiatives to enhance customer
expectations that the Brand will engage in everyday
conversations with ordinary consumers will help create
a much more humongous impact when that once-in-ablue-moon 'Oreo Opportunity' arises. Also, keep an eye
on the context, tone and drift of the conversations taking
place around these current events before engaging in
relevant, responsive Brandspeak. And also keep in
mind, be it Twitter or Facebook, on social media,
content is and will always be king!
If you focus on planning for the future and learning
from the past, you'll lose out on the present. That eternal
focus on the present moment, essentially is Real Time
Marketing.
Business opportunities for Real Time Marketing:
1) Brand Events: These include press conferences,
product launches, announcements and any other media
or customer-facing event wherein everything right from
content to execution is pre-planned.
Requisites:
The modern day marketing team should essentially be
run like a newsroom, analysing and filtering news,
current events and target audience data to unleash
effective, relevant and quick, eye-catching
communications in the blink of an eye. There needs to
be a high level of trust and empowerment in the team so
that proper collaboration and quicker decision making
happens. Success isn't just that one 'Superbowl
moment', it lies in the summation of a continuous,
consistent campaign aimed at being at the top of the
consumer's ever changing mind.
Ex: Pepsi introduced its new, thinner cans during NY
Fashion Week with live 'get skinny' content on social
media.
2) Anticipated Events: Brands should prepare for
external events which are anticipated beforehand. Ex:
Events such as the birth of Prince Williams and Duchess
Kate's son
Ex: HBO had no idea how many Emmys it would win
this year so they made social media content for all
possible eventualities and the 'right' content went live in
real-time.
It is not just about the sixes hit, it is also about the
number of singles you can take on the good deliveries.
As in, how many times can you get your Brand to be a
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23. 3) Location Based: Increasing sophisticated technology now
enables brands to target customers based on their customer's
smartphone GPS location to push the right promotion to the
right person at the right place, all in real time.
Ex: Taco Bell used a GPS phone app to let users know
whenever they approached a Taco Bell restaurant albeit
wisely, only when they were stopping at a red light.
4) Predictive-Analytics based: The flood of Big Data today
enables smart brands to push products, services or coupons to
customers based on insights gathered from the data trail
customers leave whenever they shop online. This is a field
expected to grow exponentially in the near future as it
becomes easier and easier to analyse Big Data.
Ex: Amazon uses data analysis to offer customers
recommendations, based on their browsing and shopping
history.
5) Customer Interaction: Customer interaction can take
many forms: Right from complaints, grievance redress,
customer suggestions, crowd-sourcing ideas for new products
to community interactions on social media platforms. The
public, visible and possibly viral nature of customer
interactions these days has turned it into a marketing
opportunity. Customers, now-a-days have come to expect
Brands to respond to their digital queries in close to real-time.
Ex: Pretzel Crisps listens for people on Twitter who claim to
be hungry. They are then offered Pretzel product samples for
free in real-time, bringing in new customers.
6) Breaking News: The riskiest and also the most rewarding
form of RTM may be in responding to unanticipated
Breaking news where-in the brand has to leverage the said
event in a way which is beneficial to the brand, but more
importantly stays relevant to the event. Since advance
preparation is almost impossible, a sufficient amount of
spontaneity is called for along with some caution.
Ex: Coca-Cola Philippines announced that they were
suspending all local advertising for a month to donate the
money towards the Typhoon Haiyan Disaster Recovery Fund.
This message of Coke donating $2.5 million towards a cause
earned Coke significant mileage, respect and recognition
around the world no amount of advertising could have
gathered after they chose to use Real-Time Marketing
through their social media channels to maximise the impact
of their noble announcement.
Seven Don'ts of Real Time Marketing:
The following seven points are borrowed from none other
than Oglivy and Mather, the world's premier
marketingagency founded by the King of advertising David
Oglivy.
The points are simple and concise and hit the nail on its'
head, requiring no explanation:
1. Timing is everything
2. Don't force it
3. Be witty, not awkward
4. Think before you speak
5. Know your audience
6. Remember why you're there. (Your business objectives)
7. Don't blindly copy others
Conclusion:
Brands should understand that it is not just the big news
stories which will make or break your brand but how you
casually enter into everyday conversations that will
differentiate you and make a lasting impact over the long
term, so much so that your Brand becomes a trusted voice of
opinion, a witty smart alec with the most awesome
comebacks or the first source of information for your
consumers, whatsoever you desire your Brand to be.
It will take real and sustained Brand engagement to convert
these real-time marketing 'moments' into customer loyalty
and purchasing power. This will be a function of how brands
can turn these moments into insightful conversations wherein
the brand can gain vital info on the psyche of its average
buyer. Just cracking a funny joke or tweeting a smart pun
won't get your fans to buy your products. It will be the
prerogative of the brands to cleverly guide these in-themoment conversations into spaces which will benefit the
brand most, not losing the interest of the consumer. These
conversations must be carefully built into lasting
relationships between the brand and the consumer. In real
time marketing more than anywhere else, listening is the first
and the most important step. Monitor social media
conversations, then introduce potentially buzz-worthy topics
into the open or enter into conversations which are already
generating a lot of heat.
Creativity is vital to the process of RTM. In the 'always on'
space of social media, it is vital that brands don't wait for
snazzy ad campaigns or special occasions to sell their brand,
but dive deep into the present moment and conjure up some
magic from everyday conversations.
Exciting times are surely up ahead as more brands go the
'Oreo' way, bringing other brands and ordinary consumers
such as you and me into the conversation.
Author
S Abhishek || MBA || SCMHRD
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24. Collaborate. Inspire. Evolve.
‘Of all the gifts known to man, knowledge is the least envied and the most admired.’
In the superlatively connected internet era, there are multiple avenues for imbibing knowledge. The onset of the net has
changed the way the world perceives knowledge today. No longer do people have to spend long hours going through tons of
books and paper to access the knowledge they desire. It’s all available out there now at the click of a button.
But what has still not changed is the need to know what kind of knowledge works and what doesn’t. Information is not
knowledge unless it is useful from a practical standpoint. Academic knowledge needs to be replenished with years of
experience for it to become a meaningful and powerful aide. Instead of going through this long journey in the traditional
way, imagine if you had a unique access to learn from a set of senior industry leaders with years of proven experience, who
are happy to guide you with their expertise. Wouldn’t it make your career decisions and growth simpler and faster?
This is where Kuotient is playing a pioneering role. Remember: Life is too short to learn through hits and misses. Hence the
smartest way is to learn from the experience of Senior leaders.
Kuotient Knowledge Resources Pvt. Ltd. (Kuotient) is an Organization that promotes social learning & collaboration.
Kuotient helps Institutions and individuals leverage the power of practical knowledge and also enhance their brand &
visibility. Kuotient has pioneered a unique ‘knowledge collaboration methodology’ through which it works with Corporates,
Academia, NGOs, Industry Bodies and Knowledge Mentors (Senior Professionals, Leaders, Industry/ Domain/ Subject
Matter Experts). Kuotient uses this methodology to help connect all these constituents through the medium of knowledge
collaboration thereby enabling effective sharing of ‘real world’ knowledge and expertise.
The Kuotient Value Proposition for Academia:
Kuotient helps Academic Institutions enhance their campus branding & visibility amongst their stakeholder communities,
by leveraging ‘knowledge collaboration’ as a unique differentiator. Kuotient enables academic institutions with avenues to
foster strong associations with senior professionals, industry leaders, entrepreneurs as well as organizations from industries
of their choice. Kuotient helps institutions showcase their strengths to corporate organizations and industry leaders who
matter. Kuotient also helps these Institutions reinforce their academic strengths further by giving their students access to a
world of practical knowledge, awareness and skills, thereby helping the students get better prepared for their corporate
careers.
The Kuotient Value Proposition for B-School Students:
Kuotient helps enhance the ‘real world’ readiness levels of B-School students through the following methodologies:
Knowledge Sessions on Campus by Subject Matter Experts:
Kuotient enables knowledge sessions by Senior Professionals/ Subject Matter Experts across campuses. These sessions
could be part of the annual Institutional Events or part of the academic schedule. In addition to Industry Experts, Kuotient
also helps facilitate Life Skills Events/ Sessions on campus to help the students acquire relevant skill sets that will help them
succeed in their corporate life.
Online Guidance & Mentoring:
Apart from getting Industry Experts, Leaders and Professionals on Campus for sharing their knowledge in person, Kuotient
also helps students get the benefit of connecting with these Mentors online through the Kuotient Portal. Students will be
able to reach out to the Senior Industry Mentors online and seek guidance on topics pertaining to knowledge, expertise as
well as corporate readiness.
Online Learning through ‘Learning Avenues’
Learning Avenues is an online repository on the Kuotient portal which features management book summaries, articles, case
studies, videos, webinars, industry reports, online Courses and Assessments, soft skills and other associated ‘real world
knowledge’ enhancement mechanisms. Students of partnering campuses are given 24X7 access to Learning Avenues to
continuously enhance their learning and readiness levels.
Live Exposure to Corporates using ‘World of Opportunities’:
The ‘world of opportunities’ section on the Kuotient portal features live corporate exposure opportunities for students, be it
in terms of short term or long term projects, exposure visits, internships, corporate contests for academia, etc. Students can
apply directly for these opportunities and get evaluated by the participating Corporates.
Kuotient therefore is a unique 'Social Learning & Collaboration' platform that connects knowledge mentors with those who
are looking to learn and be mentored. This is truly a great site for students to not only maximize their knowledge and
readiness levels, but also network with Industry leaders and enhance their own personal brand visibility.
"Enhance your personal and institutional brand. Increase you 'Influence Kuotient”.
Know more by visiting www.kuotient.com
24
MarketRook-2014

25. Creativity @ its best
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MarketRook-2014

26. A glance at Maha-Mandi
India’s largest Marketing event
Maha Mandi is an innovative learning campaign developed by NITIE faculty members & team MiG taking
into account the Indian context. As part of Maha Mandi campaign, MBA students are assigned to engage in
direct selling experience for one full day across Mumbai streets. Students carry out street campaign of
educational aids supplied by selected NGOs.
Objectives of Maha Mandi are:
•To help the students to develop entrepreneurship orientation
•To help the students to experience ENTERPRISING in real
•To enable the students to think entrepreneurially by practicing value creation, opportunity finding,
convincing people and selling merchandise
Maha Mandi 2013 was a tribute celebrating the 50 golden years of excellence at NITIE. Maha Mandi 2013
innovative pedagogy designed to bridge the gap between theory and practice, knowledge and its application.
Mandi stands as a hallmark of NITIE curriculum, as it integrates the theoretical principles of various subjects
of management education – Business statistics, managerial economics, marketing, sales, Communication
skills, Opportunity finding at market place and Entrepreneurship including basic HR skills with their practical
applications.
Celebrities were a part of the buying crowd in Maha Mandi 2013
Chetan Bhagat
Sushmita Sen
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27. Partners
Sponsors
Knowledge Partner
Style Partner
Fashion Partner
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28. Team MiG
The Marketing Interest Group is a small step in the march towards enhancement
of knowledge through peer learning. The idea is to bring the marketing wizards
of tomorrow to a common platform and share their wealth of knowledge and
experience. Various methodologies used include, case study discussions and
presentations by both students and eminent marketing specialists. MiG solely
believes in spreading knowledge and generating a spark which eventually
becomes a chain of thought and helps in developing marketing acumen.
Abhinav Sirohi
Ankit Gupta
Birendra Tripathy
Deepak Pal
Gaurav Chellani
Himani Maheshwari
Nikhil Tiwari
Ritesh Motghare
Saurabh Dewan
Shivam Sachan
Shilpa Gupta
Siddhi Agrawal
Sujoy Mondal
Uma Shankar
National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai
Website – www.nitie.edu
Email – nitie.mig@gmail.com
Follow us @ https://www.facebook.com/mig.nitie
MarketRook-2014
Umang Gajjar