This document discusses the concept of "shotgun marketing" as a unique marketing strategy for smaller companies to make an impact with limited budgets. Shotgun marketing refers to casting a wide net to hit the target, similar to how a shotgun spreads pellets in a wide area. It involves targeting a specific geographic area or market segment with various low-cost marketing tactics. An example given is a new coffee shop distributing pamphlets to nearby homes to create local awareness. While sometimes criticized as ineffective, the document argues shotgun marketing can work well for limited budgets by maximizing exposure and impact through diverse low-cost approaches that increase the "odds of hitting the target."

1. The MARKSMAN
K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH VOL. 3| ISSUE III| OCT ‘12
SPECIAL STORY
FROM HIGH SPIRITS TO A
GHASTLY CRASH- DILUTION OF SH TGUN
MARKETING
BRAND MALLYA
Page 11
.. Page 08
TETE-A-TETE
Ambi M G Parameswaran
ED and CEO,
DraftFCB Ulka Advertising
..Page 15
FEATURED ARTICLE Hall-MARK CAMPAIGNS
Gangnam Style – viral effect of the video Vodafone goes animated this grand prix...!
.. Page 17 .. Page 07

2. EDITOR’S DESK
Dear Readers,
Welcome to yet another edition of ‘The Marksman’, your favourite marketing periodical
which promises to refine your marketing acumen. We thrive to bring you integrated
marketing insights that would persevere to cultivate your marketing skills and expertise.
Our Cover Story discovers a unique concept for maximum impact – SHOTGUN
MARKETING, A UNIQUE CONCEPT FOR MAXIMUM EFFECT, covers an ambit of
shotgun approaches that increase the odds of hitting a target.
Our Special Story – ‘FROM HIGH SPIRITS TO A GHASTLY CRASH- DILUTION OF
BRAND MALLYA’ highlights the dichotomy between Mallya’s brand quotient and the
marketing faux pas committed by him.
Flex your marketing muscles with ‘BUZZ’ and keep abreast of developments with our
ADITUDE, BOOKWORM and TWEETS. Delve into useful insights of brand ‘Amul’ with
BRAND MARKIVE. We also take you through events through our REWIND section.
The issue also captures a TETE-A-TETE with Ambi M G Parameswaran, ED and CEO,
DraftFCB Ulka advertising, Mumbai. He throws some light and provides us with useful
insights on integrated marketing communication, brand building and digital marketing.
Our Featured Article of the month talks about Gangnam Style – the viral effect of the
video, and how it has become ubiquitous and has been able to transcend global
boundaries. We would like to congratulate the winner of the featured article – Debdutta
Roy.
We hope this issue makes an informative read. Our endeavour continues to be able to
add more value to your reading and we are working incessantly towards it. Read on to
find out for yourself!
Let us know your thoughts and be sure to come visit us at
www.interfacesimsr.weebly.com/the-marksman
for more of the latest integrative marketing news and stories.
Happy Reading!
Cheers!!
Team – Marksman
The Interface – The Marketing Club of SIMSR
01 OCTOBER 2012

3. CONTENT
Its all BRAND
TWEETS About MARKIVE
.. Page 03 AD-itude! .. Page 05
.. Page 04
Hall-MARK REWIND TETE-A-TETE
CAMPAIGNS .. Page 14 .. Page 15
.. Page 07
BOOKWORM BUZZ
SqAreheaD
.. Page 19 .. Page 20 .. Page 21
SPECIAL STORY COVER STORY
SHOTGUN MARKETING
FROM HIGH SPIRITS TO A A Unique Concept for Maximum
GHASTLY CRASH- DILUTION OF Impact
BRAND MALLYA
.. Page 11 .. Page 08
FEATURED ARTICLE
Gangnam Style – Viral effect of the video
.. Page 17
THE MARKSMAN 02

4. TWEETS
Sony Mobile launches Photo Hopping
Instagram app
Sony Mobile has launched the
PhotoHopping Instagram app for its
Cafe Coffee Day ventures into print for Xperia devices, which enables users to
first time create a personalised photo tour, based
Cafe Coffee Day released its first print ad on their interests. The app, created by
on Friday, 28 September, as a false cover LBi, is built on to Instragram’s API and
in The Times of India. With the headline, allows its users to create music videos
"You'll never run out of reasons to hang using photographs from the app from
out", the ad showcases the combo deals different cities around the world. The app
introduced by the coffee shop chain on the is free to download
front page, and some fun takeaways from
when Cafe Coffee Day first began on the
flip side.
Jabong awards creative duties to Draftfcb
Ulka
Jabong has chosen Draftfcb Ulka as its new
Reliance Communications & WhatsApp creative agency, following a multi-agency
enter into exclusive partnership pitch that saw participation from about five-
Reliance Communications, India's fully six agencies. The e-commerce site had
integrated telecommunications service recently awarded its media mandate to
provider, today announced their Zenith Optimedia.
exclusive partnership with WhatsApp in
India. Through this partnership Reliance
Communications has launched first of
its kind prepaid plan ‘WhatsApp Plan’
ZEE to invest Rs 100 cr. in edutainment
for all Reliance GSM subscribers and
venture
‘My College Plan’ for students across
ZEE recently announced the launch of
the country. Reliance GSM customers
ZeeQ, an edutainment channel, making
can now enjoy unlimited usage of
it the 32nd channel to join the
WhatsApp and Face book across the
Network’s already existing bouquet of
country at a nominal fee of Rs. 16 per
31 channels. The 24-hour channel is
month only without paying any extra
slated to go on air from November 5,
data consumption charges.
2012.
03 OCTOBER 2012

5. Its all about AD-itude!
These print ads were designed during Ganeshotsav 2012. ‘The Times of India’ every
year runs ‘Utsav Moorti Sanman’ a competition to adjudge the best Ganesh Idol in the
following categories, ‘Best Idol’ and ‘Best Eco-Friendly Idol’. TOI’s ads are an
invitation for participation in the competition in the ‘Best Eco-Friendly Idol’ Category.
Every year during Ganeshotsav a lot of Ganesh Idols are made and immersed into
the water bodies in and around Maharashtra. Most of these Ganesh Idols are not eco-
friendly and cause water pollution. TOI’s ads encourage using eco-friendly idols or
idols made from recycled material. Their tagline of recycling faith, hope, devotion and
prayers reiterates this.
Media: Print
Client: Bennett, Coleman & Co
Corporation: Umbrella Design
Media: TVC
Client: Cadbury
Corporation: Ogilvy & Mather
In keeping with their tradition to advertise Cadbury Celebrations before Diwali,
Cadbury has come up with a new ad this year too. With tag line reading “Toh iss
Diwali aap kise khush karenge”, it is sure to melt your hearts just like the chocolate
does.
The ad starts with, Steve, an American coming to work for an Indian firm. He meets
Nitin in the lift on his first day of work. Steve has difficulty eating the Indian food as
he is used to eating with fork and spoon and does not understand how to eat roti. He
tries to understand cricket by relating it with baseball only to be discouraged by his
colleagues. He also feels left out of conversations with his colleagues as most of
conversation is done in Hindi. Steve’s struggle to fit in is seen by Nitin, who along with
his colleagues decides to decorate his cubicle on Diwali and give him a ‘Cadbury
Celebration’ as a gift. Steve is touched by the gesture.
The TVC ad address issues of feeling out of place in a foreign country and what one
can do to make sure that people feel welcomed in a new environment apart from
strategically placing Cadbury Celebration as a gift that can be given during Diwali.
THE MARKSMAN 04

6. BRAND MARKIVE
AMUL is a company that we have come to know for its dairy products and timely
advertisements. Little do we know that its conception is steeped in rich history. Let’s
take a look at it.
The Birth:
It all started in 1946, in Anand-a village in Gujarat, due to the exploitative trade
practices followed by local trade cartel. Angered by the unfair practices, and under
the advice of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, they got rid of the middlemen and formed their
own co-operation which was involved in procurement, processing and marketing of
milk. Initially known as Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers Union, it started
with two villages and 247 litres of milk and grew from strength to strength under
leadership of Tribhuvandas Patel, the founder Chairman and later from 1950 under
the committed professionalism of late Dr. Verghese Kurien.
GCMMF:
Witnessing AMUL’s growth, other unions in other districts started to crop up. In order
to save on advertising costs and avoid competing against each other, they combined
forces to form Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (GCMMF) - an
apex marketing body. The Kaira union transferred the brand name AMUL to GCMMF
Today GCMMF is India’s largest food product marketing organisation with a daily
05 OCTOBER 2012

7. BRAND MARKIVE
procurement of approximately 13 million litres per day from 16,117 village milk co-
operative societies.
Some other facts about GCMMF:
•It is India’s largest exporter with many products available in USA, Gulf Countries,
and Asian Countries.
•It has been awarded “Trading House” status.
•Has been receiving the APEDA award for Excellence in Dairy Product Exports for
the last 13 years from Indian Government.
•It is also the only company from India to win International Dairy Federation
Marketing Award for pro-biotic ice-cream launch.
Advertising:
Today, when we think of AMUL, the one thing
that comes foremost to our mind is the AMUL
butter advertisements. The ads began in 1966
when Sylvester DaCunha, was hired to design
a new ad campaign for AMUL butter. He
came up with the AMUL mascot, a cute and
chubby girl usually dressed in a polka dot
dress which today has become universally recognisable in India.
And the tagline, ‘Utterly Butterly Delicious
Amul’ is just as catchy. The brand recall for
the Amul girl is phenomenal across India
today. And the biggest reason for this is the
topical nature of the ads.
These ads cover day-to-day issues.
The humour in the ads is incisive and
funny. Over the years Amul ads have
come under criticism for making ads
on certain controversial issues like the
Naxalite movement in West Bengal
and Indian Airlines pilot strike. The
Amul ad campaign has completed 50
years and has entered the Guinness
book of world records for the longest running campaign in the world.
THE MARKSMAN 06

8. Hall-MARK CAMPAIGN
Vodafone goes animated this grand prix...!
As 2012 Grand prix is going to be held on the soil of India on 28th Oct 2012, the high speed action
and ear-splitting roar of engines will be experienced one more time by “Buddh International circuit”.
Vodafone being associated with this event and taking it to be the best opportunity to connect with
the customers is pitching in with its new animated advertisement which at the end of it asks
customers to take part in its campaign.
It is a 35 second advertisement which invites enthusiastic crowd to become a part of the Vodafone
Mclaren Mercedes team in Airtel Indian Grand Prix, 2012. This ad features two animated
caterpillars walk into the cars to compete in a race, but as cars start off with high speed they are left
breathless and astonished. Towards the end, the ad asks “Love Racing?” and urges the people to
log on to Vodafone’s site so that they can have a chance to join their team at the 2012 Airtel Indian
Grand Prix.
By this campaign Vodafone gives viewers a chance to be the lucky ones to stay with the team,
travel with the team and participate in various events with them. Through this campaign, the
viewers won’t only be close to the event but actually be a part of it. They also have a chance to
meet the driver and share the pit with the team.
The TV along with the digital, radio, outdoor and print will be the most important medium for this
campaign. Airtel being the title sponsor for the Airtel Grand Prix, there is going to be a tough
competition and looking at the way Vodafone has been carrying this campaign it has not left any
stone unturned to be one of the most important sponsors of this speed loving sport and at the same
time, be in the eyes of those enthusiastic speed lovers.
07 OCTOBER 2012

9. Shotgun Marketing
A Unique Concept for Maximum Impact
The marketing universe came into existence in the 19th century and the first prominent
entities were the 4 Ps. They then paved way for 4Cs which in turn yielded 4Vs. There were
also 7 Ps which were introduced sometime in between. Today, there are so many concepts
that there are virtually no restrictions for the business communities to perform at a global
level.
Today, there is no “Silk Route” which allows a trader to walk down the trodden path and be
C as successful as his/her predecessor. It is an all out competition (WWE Royal Rumble
style!). Stalwarts of the industry try to oust competition from the single arena. There are
O collusions, divisions (Cartelizations, Acquisitions, Divestments etc.) to help strengthen one’s
V position and weaken the competitors. Today’s marketing world requires newer and more
specific strategies instead of the ones which can clearly be applied to all forms of
E businesses, whether the product is bread or armored personnel carrier. This highlights the
R fact that more the marketing budget is, more diversified the marketing campaigns could be.
However, how do smaller companies make an impact to grab a chunk of market share?
There are a number of innovative marketing techniques that have been seen utilized
S successfully in the recent past. Such attempts have not been made at a grand scale
(utilizing television/radio for promotion, or sponsoring events on national or international
T levels). Yet they have been cost effective and quite emphatic. For example, the Flash Mobs
O have caught the public attention quite successfully.
The concept of Flash Mob- it must be pointed out- allegedly has originated from Hindi
R movies/musicals where the moment an actor starts to sing or dance out in the streets,
Y suddenly every complacent passerby erupts in a dance frenzy as though his/her survival
depended on it! It just cannot happen in reality. It is precisely why a flash mob performance
stands out.
Imagine that on a fine day, you are normally walking to work and suddenly- to your great
surprise-all individuals around you pull out pillows and start hitting each other with it in a light
hearted brawl! This is exactly what happened in Toronto in 2005. Thanks to the
phenomenon, we now have an International Pillow Fight Day!
Such a marketing technique has been categorized in various domains including guerilla
marketing. However, this article highlights the impact aspect of this and similar strategies. A
flash mob can be explained under another form of marketing which is called Shotgun Marke-
THE MARKSMAN 08

10. COVER STORY
-ting. In most instances of it being used, Shotgun Marketing has been perceived as a negative form
of marketing. Experts say that it is an ineffective mode of communication. Before we delve into the
analysis, let us first dissect the Shotgun marketing phenomenon.
The nomenclature comes from the weapon of the same name and the way it works. To understand
how a shotgun works, there is no need to look for a weapons’ expert. Just ask fans of games like
Gears of War, Doom, Call of Duty or Bulletstorm and they would gladly give you details with lucidity
unlike anyone else!
A Shotgun is used for close quarter combats. Instead of standard aim-and-shoot, one simply has to
point it in the general direction of the target and squeeze the trigger. The impact area is huge.
A typical Shotgun campaign is aimed either
at a select geographical area or a targeted
segment of the market, as the following
example will elucidate.
A coffee shop newly established in your
neighborhood would most likely deal in the
Shotgun form of marketing. It would use its
limited budget to create awareness
amongst individuals who live close by. This
quite possible would be done easily in the
form of pamphlets or offers being dropped
in all homes in the immediate vicinity. A
well made pamphlet with appropriate visual
appeal is sure to attract the attention of
some (if not all). If a parallel is to be drawn, imagine throwing a bunch of magnetized stickers at the
refrigerator in one go, and expecting some of them to stick.
Shotgun marketing is a considered as a wild strategy by many because it does not have a way to
quantify the impact till the ‘shot’ has been taken. Let us revisit the example of the new coffee shop
in your neighborhood. The owner can count the number of houses but how many members residing
in those houses would actually fall into their
customer category is unknown. Therefore, there is a
distinct possibility that the right audience is not
reached despite huge quanta of resources being
utilized. Just because all stickers are magnetized
does not mean all of them would stick to the
refrigerator. There is always a certain level of
targeting needed for successful application of shot
gun strategy. This is what the critics forget while giving their judgment.
The gamers that we asked you to talk to earlier would vouch for the fact that this weapon is used
best against a number of opponents in close spaces (“With immense pleasure”- they add!). Hence
after one identifies a target market, it is important to get close (understand the market a bit better!)
and then utilize the shotgun marketing techniques. (For maximum impact, gamers love sneaking up
on enemies and surprising them with shotgun shots!)
For a more complex use of the technique, let us consider the example of the following franchisee
marketing cases.
09 OCTOBER 2012

11. COVER STORY
Consider two book titles which made it big riding on the franchisee waves. It is a relatively
unsuccessful practice in writing circuits but these 2 have been exceptions. The objective here is to
illustrate the kind of marketing tactics (including shotgun marketing) that have been utilized to juice
out every ounce of potential in a successful brand and how the target market was acquired.
Remember the successful Bourne
series by Robert Ludlum? The gritty
‘Jason Bourne’ today has become the
role model for spy character lovers who
have now become divided over their
loyalty towards Mr. James Bond. Some
say that, because of Jason Bourne, the
Bond loyalists have been left ‘shaken,
not stirred’! The world fell in love with
Mr. Bourne (whose “bad memory” made
things all the more interesting), thanks
to the quality inputs by Robert Ludlum.
After ‘The Bourne Identity’, ‘The Bourne
Supremacy’ and ‘The Bourne
Ultimatum’, there came to light a book
titled ‘Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Legacy’ written by Eric Van Lustbader. This gentleman has
been credited for adding seven more novels to the Bourne series picking up from the point where
Robert Ludlum left off in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’. Moreover, the first one out of these seven has
already been made into a movie which has yielded the latest chapter in the Bourne universe in the
form of the gritty Jeremy Renner reprising the role of the super spy.
Before the book was written, its target market was
identified as all spy book readers including Ludlum’s
fans. The Bourne Identity was written in 1980 and the
movie was released in 2002. Its stupendous success
was perceived correctly by Eric Van Lustbader. He
identified the opportunity and wrote the next chapter of
the book by the name of ‘The Bourne Legacy’. This
book was written with permission from Robert
Ludlum’s estate and was released bearing Ludlum’s
name. The shot paid off. Even though hardcore
Ludlum fans rejected it, it managed to revive the
Ludlum brand and capture new market of spy novel
enthusiasts. Another such attempt is a relatively lesser
known Douglas Adams’, ‘And Another Thing?’ written
by Eoin Coifer.
The new ‘Bona fide’ artists have juiced out legacies to
the last drop and marketed a brand to its last bit. They have utilized the Shotgun Strategy to
increase awareness amongst a not-so-discreetly-segmented target markets and captured a bulk of
the same. Most importantly, Shotgun strategies are memorable and can be used for brand
promotions if done correctly.
THE MARKSMAN 10

12. FROM HIGH SPIRITS TO A GHASTLY CRASH- DILUTION OF BRAND MALLYA
Once a businessman accosted a New York
City bank to avail a loan of $5000 for
business in India, for a period of two weeks.
The loan officer enunciated the need for a
loan guarantee. The businessman offered
S his Ferrari, parked in the lane, as security
against the loan. The loan officer and the
P bank President mocked at the
E businessman’s inanity. After a fortnight the
businessman returned and repaid the mon-
C -ey with interest. The flummoxed loan officer, now sentient of the businessman’s identity
I was inquisitive to know the reason for his action. To which the businessman riposted-
“where else would I get to safely park my car for a lowly sum of $15.41 for two weeks?” This
A man was none other than Vijay Mallya.
L The name conjures an image of a
charismatic, larger than life person,
thronged by bikini clad models on a yacht
S ‘Indian Empress’, quaffing on ‘Kingfisher’
and authenticating himself as the ‘King of
T good times’. Is today’s Vijay Vittal Mallya
O the same thrifty businessman or has he
been consumed by his own image?
R
Y MALLYA’S BRAND QUOTIENT
A brand is something that creates a
perception in the mind of the consumer
so that he is ready to pay a premium for
it. When you think of ‘Kingfisher’ or ‘United Breweries’, the first thing that comes to your
mind is their owner- Dr. Vijay Mallya. Such is his ‘brand recall’. He has embodied all that his
brand stands for- fun, high life, breaking away from shackles and celebration.
11 OCTOBER 2012

13. SPECIAL STORY
Even at 56 he betrays his age and exudes vibes of youthfulness and an intoxicating vigour. He
‘differentiates’ himself not only from his age group but also from his business rivals. All big
businessman and successful people exemplify hard work, dedication and a sombre image but this
man exemplifies gusto. This not only demonstrates his risk taking appetite but also confers on him
a unique identity.
He is synonymous with his products and services. He
is the brand mascot. He is the brand’s knight in shining
armour. Other brands shell out handsome sums to
associate themselves with a celebrity, but in case of
brand Mallya he himself is the celebrity. Can anyone
better personify a brand that says ‘King of good times’,
than a person with 25 abodes across the globe,
250 vintage cars and married twice but enjoying a
bachelor’s life and doling his wealth on Tipu Sultan’s
sword or Mahatma Gandhi’s belongings. He is the
brands ‘value proposition’ and ‘Kingfisher’ is the
‘offering’.
BRAND LIFE CYCLE
Introduction- Born with a silver spoon in his
mouth, when Mallya inherited from his father at
27 years of age, people thought he would fritter
away all, but he wanted to prove everybody
wrong.
Growth and Maturity- Riding high on spirits, he
set out to pilot a humungous mechanical bird
‘Kingfisher’ which guzzled all his riches.
Decline- And today he runs the risk of forfeiting
his recession proof liquor business to buoy his
sinking aircraft
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths-
An amazing marketer who made himself the prosopopeia of his products. He once said “I am
always claiming that 24x7 is not enough……I love challenges.” He is an achiever, winner of many
sporting events and is flamboyance personified- showed restrained Indians that indulgence could
also be a way of life.
Weaknesses-
He probably forgot to draw a line between business and hobby and took reckless steps. ‘Kingfisher
airlines’, ‘Force India’, ‘Royal Challengers Bangalore’ stand testimony to this fact. His callous
attitude towards his employees is nearing inhumane. He carouses while they commit suicide, take
pay cuts and stage protests.
Opportunities-
His clout with the bureaucratic class got FDI in aviation, which is the silver lining on his black cloud.
THE MARKSMAN 12

14. SPECIAL STORY
Threats-
In spite of getting a lot of time on lease due to his political connect, he failed to capitalize on the
opportunity and revive ‘Kingfisher airlines’, jeopardising UB in the process. He now runs the risk of
being reduced to a nominal head at UB by Diego.
MARKETING FAUX PAS
Overconfidence and complacence- When it dawned on ‘Air Deccan’ that it could no longer keep
afloat, it gracefully exited. But Mallya was overconfident that ‘Kingfisher’ will stay aflight and never
nose-dive. He also did not have the foresight and the heart to pull the shutters down on a loss
making entity. There was no strong reason for retention, on the flipside the airline was gulping
down a lot of money which would have fructified
more had it been used on a flourishing brand.
This not only blew a financial blow to the brand
but also cast a shadow on its image.
Lack of response to feedback and lack of control-
Gandhiji once said, “Alcohol is not the answer to
all questions”. Vijay Mallya once said “Alcohol is
not the answer to all questions, but if you don’t
get the answer, it helps you forget the question”.
He followed exactly this in case of ‘Kingfisher
airlines’. In spite of feedbacks in the form of
financial statements he did little to veer
‘Kingfisher airlines’ back on the path to success.
Wrong marketing strategies in the decline stage
and faltering on social responsibility marketing-
when ‘Kingfisher airlines’ was at the ‘helm of
bad times’ its owner, who personified the brand,
continued to ‘have a good time’ creating a
conflicting image. Marketing strategies should
mutate to accommodate mutations in the ‘task
environment’ as well as the ‘broad
environment’. In an industry such as aviation
which impacts the investors and society, this
attitude only fuelled anger and negativity
against the brand.
The takeoff was smooth but the landing is rough. To survive the inclement weather Mallya has to
schmooze with junior bureaucrats for favours and face flak from the media. A non bail able warrant
has been issued against him. He recently said, “The media are having a great time slamming me.
Let them continue their wild and inaccurate speculation. I will prove all of them wrong.” Whether
brand Mallya will resurrect or not only time will tell.
13 OCTOBER 2012

15. REWIND
‘Brand Building Advertising’ workshop with
Dr. Ambi M. G. Parmeswaran and Kinjal Medh
Two of the biggest names in the world of
Advertising and Branding, graced K.J.Somaiya
Institute of Management Studies and Research
with their presence and gave us their useful
insights into this Mad Ad world!
Dr. M.G. Parmeswaran – Executive director at
one of the leading advertising agencies
DraftFCB Ulka along with Kinjal Medh, COO at
Cogito Consulting conducted a workshop on
Brand Building and Advertising. They have co-
authored a book by the name ‘Brand Building Advertising’. The book discusses various real life
cases of top notch brands such as Amul, Tata Indica, Whirlpool, Naukri.com and many more
handled by Draft-
FCB Ulka.The workshop began with Mr. Kinjal
Medh discussing various cases from their book
such as a case on Tata Indica. The interactive
session helped the students to understand what
went behind the car Tata Indica from its launch
to its positioning to what effect the whole
branding activity had on the brand Tata Indica.
The daylong session was then taken over by the
maestro himself, Dr. Parmeswaran, who gave
us some very important facts and secrets about
successful branding and about how advertising
can take any brand to a whole new level. He
also spoke about the various loopholes in brand
-ing activities of famous brands that led to their
decline. He discussed the case of Santoor soaps at
length. He also spoke about the future of advertising
and branding and the big opportunity that faces us.
The session ended with Dr. Parmeswaran signing
copies of his book for the students. A day filled with
power packed discussions and some very useful
insights left the students pondering about how
branding and advertising plays such an important role
for any brand these days.
The students appreciated this initiative taken up by Interface which added yet another feather in its
cap.
THE MARKSMAN 14

16. TETE-A-TETE
In a career spanning three decades Ambi has handled
assignments in marketing, sales and advertising with
companies like Rediffusion DY&R, Boots Company and UDI
Yellow Pages before dropping anchor at Draftfcb-Ulka
Advertising over two decades ago. He has had an important
role in the transformation of Ulka Advertising into Draftfcb
Ulka Group with interests in media, consulting, digital,
advertising and healthcare. He has helped build numerous
brands including Digene, Brufen, Santoor Soap, Sundrop
Cooking Oil, TCS, ICICI Bank, Wipro, Indica Cars, Zee TV
among others, covering diverse categories such as
automotives, healthcare, telecom, FMCG, corporate etc.
He recently visited K.J.Somaiya Institute of Management
Studies and Research and gave us his useful insights into
the world of Branding and Advertising. He also spoke about
various cases from his recent book “FCB-Ulka Brand Ambi M G Parameswaran
Building Advertising – Concepts and Cases. Here are a few ED and CEO,
excerpts from his interview: DraftFCB Ulka Advertising, Mumbai.
Q1. What is the single most challenging factor or area in integrated marketing
communication? What has been the pain point for you?
Answer: Finding the right idea and then finding the right interpretation in different media. It
is very easy to do something different in social media and something different in digital
media and then the whole thing all over the place. The big thing is to find the right button
and the right big idea and take it across all media. That is the biggest challenge and we are
still learning how to do it.
Q2. You have worked in a number of brands; tell us which one has been the most
challenging in terms of brand building.
Answer: Every brand is challenging, as it faces its own set of competitions and issues.
Also the market shifts very rapidly; just when you thought you have beaten your
competition and you are on a roll, you find a new competition coming in and so you have
to go back and relearn everything again. So according to me every brand is a challenge.
Q3.When do you take a decision to kill a brand or reposition it and how?
Answer: Brands I believe are eternal. Every brand if it is nurtured and cared for can live
forever. If you are a marketer, you should never ever kill a brand. But of course every
brand needs to be revamped and re-energised and that is marketing.
15 OCTOBER 2012

17. TETE-A-TETE
Q4. Recently have you had clients who have been more receptive to the idea of you
embracing social media much more than the world?
Answer: Well social media is a very narrow term, so let’s look at digital media. I think in
the past, digital and social used to be an afterthought. Today a lot of clients are asking, if
you are doing this on TV and this on print, what are you planning to do on digital?
Therefore we can say that it has become an integral part of the full 360 degree campaign
planning, which it wasn’t five years ago. Even for a soap or a toothpaste brand, you are
looking at 360 degrees on day one compared to not doing it at all 5 years ago.
Q5. How do you see the advertising climate currently? Do you see a palpable shift from
traditional media to social media?
Answer: We have looked at these numbers over the next 5-10 years. We believe that the
traditional media will still be pretty big. Today let’s say digital media is about 3% of the total
ad spend of about 35,000 crores, we expect that this 3% may go up to 5% in the next 5
years. Ten years down the line when all bets are off, we don’t know what will happen, but
India is one of the few countries where newspaper readership is still growing, newspaper
circulation is growing, Indian language newspapers are growing, television is growing, so I
don’t think newspapers or magazines are going to die very soon.
Q6. What is your perspective on the FDI hike? How is it for the Media industry-the
broadcast Industry, considering that nine out of ten broadcast players are bleeding to
death, the advertisers are seeing a bit of a muted growth, so do you see the scenario
changing and also how is it going to pan out for the advertising industry?
Answer: In liberalization it got stuck, in the last 5-6 years no major impetus has been
taken. So I think it is a good sign that the government has woken up and taken some
bold steps in terms of opening up of multi-brand retail and aviation for India. News
media is still highly regulated whereas entertainment media is completely liberalized.
For news media I think there is probably some logic in keeping some control in terms of
majority share holdings, etc. I think this is the sign of things to come and the
government has moved in the right direction, therefore we should be expecting a lot of
opening up of different sectors of economy and probably taming a lot of bleeding
sectors in the country.
THE MARKSMAN 16

18. FEATURED ARTICLE
Gangnam Style – Viral effect of the video
-Debdutta Roy; DOMS, IIT Madras
‘Gangnam Style’ has broken all records on Internet by becoming "Most 'Liked' Video
in YouTube history”. Sung by PSY, a Korean rapper, the song has everything to
make it go viral. Though its USP is sited to be the crazy “rodeo hop” dance but its
catchy beat & hilarious parodies aptly make it a complete viral package.
Famous Rodeo Hop Invisible horse trot dance
Gangnam Style made for the local fans of Korea got its much acclaimed popularity
when it was shared by stars like Katy Perry, Britney Spears and Tom Cruise. Top
stars shared the video on their websites & many expressed desire to meet PSY. So
PSY from being a rapper in South Korea became a common face in major celebrity
shows of the world. PSY was seen teaching his exotic steps to none other than
Britney Spears in the ‘Ellen DeGeneres Show’.
Britney Spears dancing with PSY PSY with Eric Schmidt Ohio University students
The Style is said to create a good connect with babies. A website recently reported
that it helps calm cranky babies. Babies who used to make a lot of fuss while eating
are guzzling everything in Gangnam Style. Believe it or not but its PSY’s PSY’d
17 OCTOBER 2012

19. FEATURED ARTICLE
effect.
Uniqueness about Gangnam style is that it is a free selling piece of pie. Anyone can
adopt it & make their own version by restyling the song. Many spoofs one after the
other have come out & they are all trying to spread Gangnam style in their own style.
Gangnam style without music; science guy Gangnam style mash up are all examples
of this kind of spoofs. Another exciting spoof that entertained many was the video
that blended popular action game The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim with Gangnam style.
This video showed the game sprites performing the ‘invisible horse trot’ dance.
West Indies celebrate in Gangnam Style Gangnam Style Contest by Gifboom
Youths have been infected a lot by Gangnam Style music. Ohio University students
went to the extent of performing a march by dancing in Gangnam Style. Many
contests like GifBoom Gangnam Style GIF contest & Yoga Gangnam Style contest
has also been launched adding to yet another category where Gangnam Style is
active
In India Gangnam Style got its nationwide coverage in the T20 world cup particularly
because of Chris Gayle & a bunch of other West Indian ‘Gangnam Stylists’. Copycat
‘rodeo hop’ by West Indies team made Indians, Sri Lankans & other participating
teams discover a new way of expressing happiness. Crazy dance steps &
sensational parody had set the mood of entire nation to celebrate the success of our
western brothers.
Gangnam Style is a one off fad that has become ubiquitous. People want to bring
this style in everything they do. It’s anti-pop, cheesy dressing, crazy dancing to
promote a hipster cool style. Whatever one may think but it’s 100% genuine & 200%
fun & therefore it has been able to transcend global boundaries.
THE MARKSMAN 18

20. BOOKWORM
Social media is a crucial tool to a successful business.
There are already a plethora of books in this cluttered
genre of marketing self help books, when Shama Hyder
Kabani, president of Web marketing firm The Marketing
Zen Group, has released the book “The Zen of Social Media Marketing: An Easier
Way to Build Credibility, Generate Buzz, and Increase Revenue”
It is in the format of a “how to” guide book where Kabani explains with step by step
instructions on how to use different media forms. It works well for social media
marketing beginners and gives a set of tools on how to access all the benefits of
social media marketing without the stress. It helps you decide on your social
marketing tool that best suits your business. She brings in top experts in each media
category with their snippets and proven strategies in each chapter.
Biggest take away from this book is the overall structure of social media. The author
does a good work of going through specific aspects of all the social media outlets
available like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
This may be a bit of a disappointment for those who are already conversant with
social media. However along with the physical book you also get access to the
exclusive online edition which includes regular updates and video extras to make
sure you are always on top of social media news. The author understands that social
media is constantly evolving, and updates this information online continuously, so
that this can be a one purchase social media information package.
RAT ING : 3/5
19 OCTOBER 2012

21. SqAreheaD
SqAreheaD
THE MARKSMAN 20

22. BUZZ
ACROSS
1. Italian Brand of shoe and apparel
founded in 1995 by Mario Moretti
Polegato.
4. When government is planning to
open up FDI, which foreign retail
chain’s stake in Infiniti Retail is being
bought out by Tatas?
5. Which brand of watch from Tissot
is also a premium chocolate from
Cadbury?
7. Outside India, this is known as
Suzuki 'Alto'. How do we know it
better in India?
8. Name the Zurich based
consultancy acquired by Infosys for
THE CLUES $350 mn.
1 2 3
DOWN
2. Which airline is the flag carrier of
5 6 Abu Dhabi?
4 3. Which tech co in US is headed by
an African American woman Ursula
Burns ?
7 8 9 6. Which international organization got
its name because, when it was first
started, its members would meet in
turn in each other's homes?
9. Planet 9. The restaurant chain was started by
8. Lodestone 7. Zen Hollywood stars Bruce Willis,
6. The Rotary Club 5. Temptations Demi Moore, and Arnold
Schwaznegger _______ Hollywood?
4. Woolworths 3. Xerox
2. Etihad Airways 1. Geox
21 OCTOBER 2012

23. CALL FOR ARTICLES
NOVEMBER 2012
Articles can be sent on only one of the following topics:
1. Kingfisher’s fall : Is Mallaya really
concerned?
2. Nokia a dying brand : What’s Next?
3. Brand Repositioning and what effects it
can have on Cinthol
* Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and references are clearly mentioned
1. One article can have one author
2. Your article should be from 500-600 words and MUST be replete
with relevant pictures that can be used to enhance the article
3. Send your article in .doc/.docx format with font size 11(Arial) to:
Interface.newsletter@gmail.com
4. Subtitle line: Your name_Institute Name_Course Year
5. Kindly name your file as : Your name_Topic
The best adjudged article will be given a winner’s certificate.
Deadline for the submission of article will be : 16th November, 2012

24. To subscribe to "The Marksman", Follow the link:-
http://interfacesimsr.weebly.com/the-marksman.html
drop in a mail/contact us at :: interface.newsletter@gmail.com
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THE TEAM
COVER STORY SPECIAL STORY It’s all about AD-itude
Vivek Misra Roma Sehgal Divya Damera
SquAreheaD Brand MARKive COVER PAGE
Tavishi Divya Damera Nitya Kumar
TWEETS BUZZ DESIGN
Nishant Singla Nishant Singla Nitya Kumar
Richa Garg
Divya Damera
BOOKWORM REWIND TETE-A-TETE
Smriti Sudish Meeta Khatri Meeta Khatri
Hall-MARK CAMPAIGN PROMOTIONS PROOF READ
Mandar Dongre Meeta Khatri Priyam Prasad
Roma Sehgal c
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THE MARKSMAN